Homemade Croutons

Homemade Croutons

Last week I shared with you my Roasted Vegetable Salad with Honey Citrus Dressing, and promised to post the recipe days later for my homemade croutons.

Sorry for the delay.  As some of you may know, I bought  a new bike for my birthday.  For years I’ve been riding a hybrid, and I finally broke down and purchased a road bike.  The tires are much thinner, so to gain momentum and speed, I opted to try out clip-on pedals vs. regular pedals with gages, like I had on my hybrid.  With  clip-on pedals you wear special shoes, and have to be cognizant to unclip prior to coming to a stop.

Well, I was coming to an intersection at the park on Saturday, there were no cars in sight, so I decided to right through.  Unfortunately, the person I was riding with had stopped….I slowed down, not realizing there was a slight incline at the intersection.  Without even a split second time to think, my bike halted, and over to the right I fell, feet locked into the pedals.

It seemed like an easy fall and I felt silly.  However, when I went to get up I couldn’t put any pressure on my right hand or arm.  I managed to ride home for the next 30 minutes, carefully – that was Saturday.  Today my arm is still in a lot of pain, and so black and blue that I’ve decided it’s time to get an x-ray.  Hence, the reason this post wasn’t up sooner.

Homemade croutons are simple to prepare, and make a world of difference in the outcome of your salads.  This recipe is very basic, however, if you’d like to add in some herbs then go ahead.  That’s the best part about being the cook – you have total control.

Roasted Vegetable Salad

Here’s my recipe for homemade croutons, I think you’ll enjoy them.

Homemade Croutons

Homemade Croutons

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  • Italian bread, (day old preferred but not necessary) crusts removed, cut into ¾ inch cubes

Directions:

  1. Place loaf of bread on a cutting surface.
  2. Cut away the crust from the entire loaf and set aside for another use or eat it.
  3. Slice crustless bread into 3/4 inch cubes
  4. Blend 2 tablespoons of olive oil with cheese in a large mixing bowl.
  5. Coat the bread in this mixture
  6. Spread coated bread cubes out in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  7. Bake the croutons until lightly golden, 10-12 minutes, tossing occasionally to cook all sides.  The bread should be lightly crispy on the outside but still soft on the inside.  Set aside to cool.

ENJOY!!!

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7 comments

  1. Yikes. I hope your arm isn’t broken!
    I love homemade croutons. My mom used to put a garlic clove in the olive oil…many of her croutons never made it to the salad! Yours look wonderful!

  2. Oh, ouch! I hope your arm is OK. Definitely get an x-ray — a lot of biker’s break their clavicles in falls like that. I don’t ride my bikes much anymore (I should), but I’ve failed to get my feet out of the clips on more than one occasion. Falling over is so painful! Anyway, I love homemade croutons, and make them almost exactly the same way. These look so good — thanks.

  3. So sorry to hear this, Vicki. Hope you get better soon.
    Those croutons are so crunchy that I can snack on them all day long!
    Thanks for sharing!
    Angie

  4. So Sorry to hear about your fall! Hope your pain will go away soon.
    These croutons look so delicious and crunchy!

  5. I ride bike a lot, and I’m always afraid of falling…and I have a couple of times. I hope your arm will be OK.
    Great croutons! 🙂 ela

  6. These croutons look perfect, I would love to have it with soup 😀

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

  7. Bummer that you crashed on your new bike, but worst of all that your arm is hurt. Please get that x-ray! I hope it’s nothing serious, but better to be safe than sorry. Oh how I long croutons!! Great recipe and process!

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