You’re going to need these croutons for the next recipe I post. I suppose you could use store-bought, but these are better…. at least I think so!
Sometimes I’ll whip up a batch of my Honey Whole Wheat Bread just so I can let it go stale for making croutons. My family loves croutons. We throw ’em in soups and salads. Of course they go into French onion soup. I’ve even caught my 17 year old munching on them like popcorn.
Croutons are a snap. Coat stale bread cubes in flavor bombed oil, toast in the oven, and viola! Croutons! I just throw it all together (not the bread cubes) in my food processor, and taste as I go. I use tomatoes I’ve dried myself, which don’t have as much moisture as store-bought sun dried tomatoes. I have to soak them in a little water before I get started, or they won’t pulverize properly in the food processor. This recipe makes up a batch of flavored oil which is more than needed to make a batch of croutons. It can be stored in a jar in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 weeks, and can be used in a variety of ways: croutons, tossed with pasta, or spread on sandwiches for an extra punch of flavor.
Zesty Tomato Garlic Croutons
Cubed stale bread
1 cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
4 or 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
3 teaspoons dried basil
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2-3 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup olive oil
Place all ingredients (except cubed bread) into a food processor and let ‘er rip. Process until the mixture is relatively smooth.
Place bread cubes in a bowl and spoon some of the tomato-oil mixture onto the cubes.
Toss until the bread is completely coated with the tomato mixture, adding more if needed.
Spread the croutons on a baking sheet and toast in a 350° oven. Check the croutons about every 5 minutes and give them a quick stir. Because of the sugar content of the tomatoes, the croutons will tend to caramelize, and you want to be careful not to burn them. My croutons took approximately 15 minutes.