Arts & Entertainment
Bring Down the Progesso Empire! ... One Bread Crumb at a Time
Don't throw out the stale bread. As long as nothing is growing on it, use it for croutons.
It’s true. Croutons are easy to make. So why not take some time out to create a homemade version? We eat salads a lot in our house, and croutons are one of the fun ingredients. When you get a bad crouton, it messes up your whole salad.
Why take the chance with a store brand? Just make your own. Croutons take five to 10 minutes to prep and about 15 minutes to toast. And it should cost you nothing, should you take advantage of leftover breads from dinner parties, or the ends of your sandwich loaf. The bread can always be frozen and you can make this frozen, or thawed.
Ingredients:
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4 tablespoons of butter, melted just before use
Bread, cut into crouton size, and try to stay on the large side. Half of a medium-sized dinner loaf is a manageable amount to work with.
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Salt and Pepper to taste
Paprika to taste
Garlic powder to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line cookie sheet with foil and place cut bread, spreading as much as possible
Melt 4 tablespoons butter in a small microwaveable bowl (20 seconds) and drizzle over the bread. Mix well with clean hands.
Lightly salt, lay on a bit of pepper, paprika and garlic powder.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until croutons are toasted and crispy. You can test for doneness by feeling a large piece. If it’s not crunchy, put it back in for two more minutes.
Don’t walk away! This could go bad, quickly. Watch to be sure that your pieces are golden brown, and none is getting on the burnt side.
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Next week, I will share with you my favorite salad, perfectly topped with these croutons. It’s low fat and DELISH!
If you don’t have these ingredients, you can easily find them at Giant in Abington
