sadly, I recently bought the worst loaf of bread I’ve ever had the lack-of-luck to come across. it’s mealy and bitter; it doesn’t toast well; and even the great god of butter won’t make it palatable. so, not wanting to waste food or money, I’m attempting to remedy the sad loaf of ultimate sadness with the goodness of crouton dressups. regardless of how these turn out, here’s how to make goodly ones; lovely in salads or even just for snacking.
on the counter there is:
half a loaf of something old, stale, something like that… whole wheat or white, or both, it’s all good.
5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 to 1 tsp cracked black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp italian seasoning
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/4 to 1/3 C vegetable oil (or olive oil if you’re feeling ritzy)
. crank the oven to 400
. cut up your leftover bread bits in shapes that are roughly all the same size so they bake evenly
. put everything but the bread in a bowl and stir to combine. you might as well do this with your hands ’cause you’re going to then mix the bread cubes in next. it’s best to do this with your hands to ensure an even coverage of the herby oil
. dump out this mix onto a baking tray in a level layer and so it’s not crowded. if you have to bake it in batches, that’s better than crowding them on and getting frumpy croutons
. bake for five minutes, take out and stir them, then bake for another 3-5 minutes until goldenish and toasty
for the record, in the time it’s taken me to write this, I’ve been snacking on these croutons and they did indeed save the sad bread. huzzah!
thefirdge 