Ollie's Homemade Croutons Revisited

Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Okay I hear you now - "Croutons, who makes their own croutons! I can buy 'em in the grocery store"

Well, sorry guys but I make my own. I don't like crispy, hard-as-a-rock bits of dry bread in my salad!

I posted a crouton recipe on this blog back in 2008 but since then I've revised and revamped my method of making them. 

My croutons are super-fast and easy to make and they're way better. I can control the size of the croutons. I can control how crisp or soft I want them. I can control the flavor with various spices.

For my tastes, a crisp outside with a soft center suits me perfectly. And my croutons store in a large glass canister for months. In fact I've never had them go bad.

So you start with white bread - fresh white bread. Cut it with a bread knife (serrated) into the size croutons you want.

Put the croutons in a large bowl and drizzle olive oil over them. I use extra-virgin but it's your choice. Don't use too much because Olive Oil has a strong flavor. A little goes a long way.

Stir gently but well. You can do this part in a large ziplock baggy if you prefer.

Now add your spices - I like to use Fine Herbes, Salt (sometimes I use Kosher Salt, sometimes regular) and Pepper as my minimum.

You can add garlic salt or even minced garlic if you like garlic croutons. Basically you can add any herb or spice you like! Be adventurous - try different ones until you hit on some favorites.


Mix well (but gently) and dump the croutons onto a baking sheet. Bake in a 325' oven for 10-20 minutes, depending how soft or crisp you want them.

Serve with a Caesar Salad and enjoy!

I store my croutons in a glass jar inside the cupboard.