In this Instructable, I will show you how to make croutons. This easy homemade croutons recipe is perfect to have on salads, especially Caesar salad, in soups, or however, you want to serve them. Don't throw away stale bread when you can make croutons from scratch! Also, they are so much cheaper to make at home. If I can do it, you can do it, let's get baking!

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Follow the simple steps below or watch the video tutorial or do both. :)

Step 1: Ingredients and Tools

You may print the recipe here if you want.

Ingredients:

1/2 to 1lb bread (French, Italian, whole wheat, etc.)
1/4 to 1/3 cup of olive oil (60 to 78 ml)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder (2g)
1/2 tsp. salt (2g)
1/2 tsp. dried oregano (or Italian spice blend) (less than 1g)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper (1g)

Tools:

Large bowl
Knife
Cutting board
Sheet pan
Parchment paper or a silicone mat

Step 2: Cube the Bread

Preheat the oven to 300 F/149 C. Then take your bread and cube it. I usually cut it lengthwise twice giving me long skinny almost breadstick like cuts. Then I cut them the other way creating the cubes. Try and make them all the same size, whether large or small bread cubes. Under an inch is a good size for croutons, in my opinion.

Step 3: Season the Bread Cubes

Now it is time to season those bread cubes. Place the bread in a large bowl. Then drizzle olive oil over them. You probably won't need all the oil if you only use 1/2 lb of bread, but if you use a full lb, you will most likely need the full 1/3 cup of oil.

After drizzling on the oil, add the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried oregano, or you can use an Italian spice blend. You can also just mix all those spices together in a bowl first and then sprinkle them on, it usually winds up going on a bit more even that way. Mix until everything is coated.

Step 4: Bake Those Croutons

Now it is time to bake them. Spread them out evenly in one layer on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Then bake them in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove them from the oven and stir them, then place them back in the oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Then remove and stir and bake one last time, so the total winds up being about 30 to 35 minutes. You will be able to hear the bread cubes getting more crunchy as they bake. Remove them from the oven a final time and allow them to cool until room temp. You can even snack on a few while they are still warm if you want. I always do. :)

Step 5: Serve Them Up

Now, just sprinkle them on your salad, soup, or however else you want to eat them. They are so tasty, you may just keep them in a bowl and snack on them like popcorn! I do that too, haha.

To store them, place them in a ziplock bag or airtight container and keep at room temp for 3 to 4 days. Or you can store them in the fridge for even longer, although they will lose some of their crunch in the fridge. You may also freeze them. Enjoy!