Homemade Garlic Parmesan Croutons

This week, my grocery store had a whole bunch of loaves of bread marked down to 25 cents apiece, so I decided to try my hand at making homemade croutons. How hard can it be, right? Not hard at all, my friends. Really simple, and so tasty!  One loaf of regular sliced bread made a whole gallon sized bag of croutons.  The best part was that everything other than the 25 cent loaf of bread, I had on hand already.  From what I've read, it looks like they will keep in a sealed bag out of the fridge for about 2-4 weeks, in the fridge for at least a month, or frozen for up to 3 months (although I haven't tried to freeze them, I'm skeptical that they'd stay as crispy).  I figure between all the holidays coming up, Annalyn snacking on them, and my obsession with salads lately (thanks to this raspberry vinaigrette recipe), we will have no problem finishing them within the month.  Here's how Mama makes it:

Garlic Parmesan Croutons

Ingredients:

- 1 loaf of day old bread (or leave the bag open overnight)

- 1/2-2/3 c. olive oil

- 1/4 c. grated parmesan cheese

- 1 t. salt (more or less, to taste)

- 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper

- 2 T. minced garlic

- 1 t. dried rosemary

- 1/2 t. dried oregano

- 1/2 t. dried thyme

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Slice bread into roughly 1/2" cubes.  For me, it was easiest to make half a batch at a time.

2.  In a large bowl, combine half of the remaining ingredients. Add bread cubes and toss to coat.

3.  Place bread in an even layer on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10, until golden brown and crispy. (Mine were done around 25-28 minutes. Times will vary based on oven, type of bread, etc.) Allow to cool, then store in a sealed container until ready to use on your favorite salad or soup.

printable recipe