🥖 Croutons (Crispy Bread Cubes)
Croutons are just seasoned, toasted bread cubes—simple, but they make soups and salads way better.
🧾 Ingredients
- 3–4 slices of bread (stale bread works best)
- 2–3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 minced garlic clove)
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Optional: dried herbs (oregano, thyme, parsley), parmesan
🔪 Instructions (Oven method)
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F)
- Cut bread into bite-sized cubes
- Toss with oil/butter and seasonings
- Spread on a baking tray in a single layer
- Bake 10–15 minutes, stirring halfway
- Remove when golden and crispy
🔥 Air fryer method (faster)
- Cook at 180°C for 5–8 minutes, shaking halfway
- Watch closely—they brown fast
🧠Pro tips
- Slightly stale bread gives the best crunch
- Don’t overcrowd the tray or they’ll steam instead of crisp
- Add parmesan right after baking so it sticks
🍲 How to use them
- On soups (tomato, chicken, creamy soups)
- In salads (Caesar salad classic)
- As a crunchy snack
🧩 Bottom line
Croutons are just a smart way to turn leftover bread into something crispy, flavorful, and useful.
If you want, I can show you garlic butter croutons like restaurants, or a spicy chili version for snacks.
