This guide outlines how to make croutons easily plus how to elevate them into gourmet versions.
A soup or green salad topped with golden brown, home-roasted croutons quickly becomes the highlight of a menu. Try them with these classic dishes:
- Caesar Salad: A classic salad featuring romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, Caesar dressing.
- French Onion Soup: A rich and flavorful soup made with caramelized onions, beef broth, and topped with toasted bread cubes and melted cheese.
- Panzanella: An Italian bread salad made with stale bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and basil, dressed with olive oil and vinegar.
- Clam Chowder: A creamy soup made with clams, potatoes, onions, and celery, often garnished with crispy toasted bread cubes for added texture.
- Tomato Soup: A comforting soup made with ripe tomatoes, onions, garlic, and herbs, often served with grilled cheese sandwiches. Try our 5 super fast tomato soup recipes.
- Caesar Pasta Salad: A twist on the classic Caesar salad, this pasta salad includes cooked pasta, Caesar dressing, cherry tomatoes, Parmesan cheese.
These are just a few examples, but they can be added to many other dishes, such as soups, salads, and pasta, to provide texture and flavor.
How to make croutons
Croutons work best with stale bread. Fresh herbs, nuts, spices or garlic add that certain something (see our gourmet tips below.
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How to make croutons: the best breads to use
Light-colored breads made from white flour are usually used for croutons. In addition to the classic version with white bread, ciabatta , baguette or simple rolls are also ideal.
Croutons made from pretzel rolls are particularly delicious. Diced farmer’s bread, strong pumpernickel or hearty wholemeal bread also provide a particularly spicy aroma and more bite.
By the way, you can also use older baked goods for croutons, as roasting them makes them fresh and tasty again.
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How to make croutons: simple recipe from 3 ingredients
The best thing about simple homemade croutons: you’re guaranteed to have the ingredients in your kitchen. This means that you can spontaneously top your soups and salads with croutons.
The most important ingredient is the bread. You can choose between different types of bread. Stale bread is ideal because it is already slightly dried out. But you can also use toast.
In addition to the bread, you will need olive oil or butter. Whether you prefer to fry your bread crispy in oil or butter is a matter of taste. However, we all agree: a little salt is a must. Optionally, you can also refine your bread cubes with spices such as garlic powder or herbs from Provence.
- Cut the bread of your choice into cubes and remove the crust as desired.
- Heat oil or butter in a pan. About ½ tbsp oil or butter per slice of bread.
- Add the bread cubes to the pan and toast them into golden brown croutons.
- Drain the homemade croutons on kitchen paper. Season as desired (see tips below).
- Alternatively, spread the bread cubes on a baking tray and drizzle them with oil or melted butter.
- Roast in the oven at 150-200 ° C (top and bottom heat), turning several times until they are nicely browned.
How to make croutons: instant toast hack
If you want to save calories and time, you can simply toast slices of bread in the toaster and then dice them. Crispy croutons are then ready instantly to pimp up quick salads or cream soups.
How long can you keep homemade croutons?
It is best to store leftover croutons in an airtight container . This means they will last for around 2-3 days after preparation. Since the fat can quickly go rancid, it’s best to do an odor test before reusing it.
Prepare croutons in advance
If you have prepared more croutons than you need for one meal, you can store them in a tightly sealed container for a few days. Ready-made croutons don’t last particularly long. The oil or butter can quickly become rancid.
You can also prepare croutons in advance. It is crucial that you first let the bread cubes dry thoroughly on a rack (without fat!) . This works best with medium top and bottom heat (100-150 ° C) in the oven.
- Cut the bread into small cubes.
- Dry the cubes on a rack.
- The cubes should be turned several times until they are completely dry and lightly browned. Alternatively, you can air dry them to save energy.
- You then put the pre-baked croutons in an airtight container and, if necessary, you only need to finish them briefly with a little fat in the pan.
- Pre-baked croutons can last for several weeks if stored in a drier, cooler place.
If necessary, you can take the desired amount of bread cubes out of the box and finish toasting them in a pan with a little butter or oil.
How to make croutons: Tips
- Cut the bread slices into cubes of approximately the same size so that they toast evenly in the pan. You can cut small or larger cubes depending on your preferences.
- You can use a stove top. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread cubes to the pan when it is hot and toast them, turning occasionally. The bread cubes should be lightly browned and crispy.
- After toasting, let the crispy croutons cool briefly on a paper towel. Then they become even crispier. Store them in an airtight container to keep them fresh.
How to make croutons: Gourmet versions
- Use salt, pepper, paprika powder or homemade herb oil to give the finished croutons the finishing touch they need.
- A few chili flakes provide a particularly spicy note.
- When roasting, put a clove of garlic in the pan or the oven — the croutons will take on the aroma and acquire a delicate seasoning.
- Add a few cubes of ham to the pan while roasting. The combination tastes divine with creamy potato soup, for example.
- You can refine them wonderfully with chopped nuts. Roast them towards the end for a few minutes until they develop their aroma.
Final words
Once you know how to make croutons yourself, start experimenting with your favorite flavors to dress them up!
Photo by Valeriia Harbuz
