How to Make Homemade Garlic Croutons

This simple and flavourful recipe for homemade garlic croutons will create the most delicious, crunchy croutons. Serve them up as the perfect accompaniment to smooth, creamy soups, adding a burst of taste and texture to every spoonful. By using day-old bread and baking them in the oven, these garlic croutons are a healthier alternative to a fried version.

Read on to find out how to make them.

Let’s Get Started

So what do you need to make these oven-baked croutons?

You don’t need a great deal of equipment, just a knife to cut up the bread with, something to crush the garlic and the ability to weigh out or measure the oil that the recipe needs. You will also need a bowl large enough to hold the bread, a cutting board to protect your worktop and a baking tray that will hold the bread when it goes into the oven.

The baking tray will need to be large enough to allow you to spread the bread out in a single layer if possible. You may need two trays, if that isn’t possible then cook one amount and then cook the remaining croutons.

Now you’ve got the equipment sorted let’s consider the ingredients.

Choosing the Right Bread

You can pretty much use any bread that you have to hand but there are a few things to think about.

• day old bread – this toasts well. Even if the bread is a couple of days old this is a good way of using it up. This recipe leaves nothing to waste. However, fresh bread is ok too. Fresh bread is just a little more delicate as it falls apart more readily so if fresh bread is all you have and you want delicious garlicky croutons then use that but handle it gently.
• Sourdough – if you love the tanginess of sourdough bread then definitely use any leftovers to make croutons. You may need to add an extra tablespoon of oil to the recipe but the gorgeous flavour of sourdough coupled with garlic and herbs is really something wonderful.
• gluten-free bread – the gluten-free bread that I tried turning into croutons worked really well but it was a little more fragile than ordinary everyday bread. It does make a lovely crouton but you will need to handle it gently. This was only one manufacturer’s make of bread and others may differ slightly.
• wholemeal and brown bread – these also make really lovely croutons and you can benefit from the extra fibre and vitamins that wholemeal breads brings.
• Granary bread – there is no reason why you can’t make croutons out of granary bread but I personally find that the seeds can go a little bit hard when baked like this and that isn’t something that I particularly enjoy. I wouldn’t recommend using granary varieties.
• manufactured sliced bread – making garlic croutons isn’t just something that you can make out of bread loaves bought from the bakers. You can also make them out of sliced bread that you buy in packets from the supermarket. Brilliant… no bread goes to waste.

Features of this homemade Garlic Croutons recipe

This is a little information about this recipe.

• Uses olive oil but only enough to toast the bread.
• Only requires 4 ingredients to turn these into little garlic bread bites.
• Baked in the oven for a few minutes leaving you time to do other things. They toast more uniformly spread out on a baking tray. Really importantly, there are no lingering fried food type smells in the kitchen. Yay!
• Uses up not-so-fresh bread. Day-old bread is actually a better option for making croutons as they cook more quickly.
• Use whatever kind of bread you have in the house, wholemeal, white bread, and sourdough all make delicious croutons. Granary-style bread not so much, the seeds can become a little too hard.
• Use your favourite herbs and change them to suit the dish you’re using them with. For example; oregano with an Italian tomato-based soup.

Step-by-Step Instructions for homemade garlic croutons

This is a walk through of how to make homemade garlic croutons.

Gather your ingredients together.

Preparing the Bread

Begin by preheating your oven to 400°F (200°C/180 C Fan oven). While the oven is heating, cut the day-old bread into small cubes, approximately 1-inch (2.5cms) in size. This size ensures a perfect balance between crunchiness and chewiness in your baked croutons. However, please note that this is simply a guideline as to where to begin you don’t have to be too precise. This is cooking… be an artiste.

Infusing the Olive Oil

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, dried herbs (if using) and pureed garlic. Stir the mixture well, allowing the flavours to infuse into the oil. This step enhances the overall taste of the croutons, giving them a delightful garlicy, herby flavour.

Coating the Bread

Place the bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. Pour the infused olive oil mixture over the bread cubes, ensuring that each piece is coated evenly. Toss the bread cubes gently, using a spoon or your hands, until all the cubes are well-coated.

Seasoning

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the bread cubes, adjusting the amount according to your taste preferences. The seasoning helps all of the flavours to shine. However, remember that the flavours will become stronger during baking, so it’s best to start with a restrained amount of seasoning. You can add more seasoning once they’ve finished baking if you need to.

Baking the Croutons

Spread the seasoned, oiled and herby bread cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 10-15 minutes, or until the croutons turn golden brown and crispy.Check every 5 minutes and move the bread around to ensure even baking. The bread will take different lengths of time to turn golden brown depending on how fresh the bread is. Keep watch. Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning.

Cooling and Storing

Once baked to perfection, remove the croutons from the oven. Use them straightaway with a delicious homemade soup or if you’re using them to adorn a nice salad allow them to cool completely on the baking sheet. This step ensures that they retain their crispiness.

Once cooled, transfer the herby garlic croutons to an airtight container for storage.

Variations to homemade Garlic Croutons recipe

We really love these croutons at home. They’re a great way of reducing food waste and of adding an interesting addition to both soups and salads. There are however a few variations you can make to the main recipe, just to ring the changes.

• Use a different herb – theme the herb to go with the soup or salad. For example, add a few chilli flakes and coriander for a Mexican vibe. Use oregano or thyme for a more Italian feel.
• Cook in a frying pan, if you don’t wish to warm up the oven. Use the same ingredients and make it in the same way. Cook in the pan until they’re a golden brown colour.
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. You can get vegetarian and vegan varieties of this cheese these days. Garlic and Parmesan croutons are quite lovely.
• Bake with a few chilli flakes for a subtle or more fiery heat depending on how much you add.

Serving garlic croutons

These croutons are a brilliant addition to soups. They add more flavour and a little bit of crunch. Why not try one of the soup recipes on the blog? Then you can try them out too. Happy days.

They’re also really good in salads, such as the infamous Caesar salad, as they give a wonderful crunch and satisfying hit of a garlicky flavour. Next time you’re treating yourself to a salad for lunch, add a few of these and see what a difference they make. You’ll be thrilled.

Garlic croutons are also quite nice on their own as a savoury style snack. Not quite like crisps but you get the idea.

Storing Garlic Croutons

Store these croutons in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

I hope that you like this recipe and if you try it I’d love to know what you think.

It’s important to note that compared to store-bought alternatives, these homemade croutons are baked, not fried, resulting in a healthier crouton. So, next time you have some day-old bread on hand, put it to good use and whip up a batch of these irresistible garlic croutons. Your taste buds will thank you!

If you like this recipe, perhaps you’ll like these;

• Spicy Tomato Soup
• Pumpkin Soup
• Creamy Leek and Potato Soup
• Spicy Red Lentil Soup
• Simple Corn Chowder

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