Homemade Croutons

A photo cannot portray how addictive these croutons are. So here’s what happens  –  I make a batch, and most of them get snacked on before they even make it as far as a salad topping. Inevitably I save a few for a salad, and every time it is the Best Salad Ever because these things are just so delicious.

I think the best part is the hint of lemon in them. They’ve also got a little garlic (I use a clove of garlic instead of the powder that the recipe calls for), some thyme and paprika.

The recipe comes from Thug Kitchen. I use a lower baking temperature than the 400 degrees that the cookbook calls for, because I find they get a bit too blackened at the high temperature. I also add a little more lemon juice. Today I made them and (gasp!) I was out of olive oil, so I substituted butter – big thumbs up on that one!

My favourite salad to serve these on at the moment is a caesar salad with a lighter dressing made with yogurt.

You can keep these for a while in an airtight container.

What you need:

• 1/2 loaf day-old bread (about 5 cups of cubes) (I like Olivier’s French Whole Wheat)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 & 1/2 tablespoons or more of fresh lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

What you do:

1. Heat the oven to 300F.
2. Cut the bread into cubes.
3. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a large bowl and mix it up.
4. Add the bread and toss it right away so all the pieces of bread get coated.
5. Pour the bread onto a baking pan and shake it out so it is distributed around the pan evenly in one layer.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring a few times throughout the baking so it doesn’t burn.
7. Enjoy!