I really do not know where to start with this post. I have been mostly absent this last year as I have been through some major emotional events. My life will be forever different but that is life isn't it? Always changing. It is truly amazing how much we humans want to resist change yet it is so inevitable. I am so thankful to have my family and friends. They are the best anyone could ask for. So we continue.
I have been in the kitchen. I just have not been posting. My New Year's Resolution is to blog more often. I have so much to share.
I am starting with something simple here. I make these all the time. I know that many a New Year's Resolution is going to include weight loss and dieting. That must mean lots of salads. No doubt many will be low carb as that is the current trend. You need not load up on carbs but a few of these babies sprinkled on your salad will not harm you and will make it much easier to stick with the plan. They are light, airy and crunchy and fairly melt in your mouth.
These are so good my family often does not wait for the salad but eats them out of hand straight from the container.
They would make an awesome hostess gift, packed in a fancy container and bagged up with some salad tongs and a fancy dressing!
This recipe calls for tossing the bread cubes in the pan with the cold butter. As the butter melts it coats the cubes more evenly than if you tossed the cubes into already melted butter in which case only a portion of them would get coated. These are so much better than those things you buy in the salad dressing aisle. They are so easy to make too. There really is no excuse not to.
The reason this works is because each little cube of bread gets a light coating of butter before being baked to crisp perfection. Do plan ahead. It is best to work with day old French bread because it is easier to slice without it squishing up under the knife. So here it is - The Best Homemade Croutons..
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Cut day old bread into 1/2 inch cubes.
Toss in a skillet over low heat with 2 chunks of butter so it slowly melts and coats each cube.
Ingredients:
1 12 oz loaf day old French bread
Scant 1teaspoon garlic salt (I used Lawry's), divided
Scant 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
4 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter cut into 4 pieces.
Preheat oven to 200.
Cut loaf in half and using 1/2 at a time cut loaf into 1/2 inch thick slices. Then cut each slice into 1/2 inch cubes.
Transfer cubes to a large skillet. Sprinkle them with a scant 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of cold butter to the skillet.
Place the skillet over low heat and toss the bread constantly as the butter melts. What this does is make sure that each cube gets a hit of butter. Once the butter is completely melted toss the cubes for a few seconds more to absorb it all.
Spread the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet. Repeat with the other half of the loaf and spread on a separate baking sheet. Place the croutons in the oven. Set the timer for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes use a spatula to toss the croutons around. Return them to the oven for another 8 minutes. Toss and turn them and then go 8 more minutes. They should be nice and perfectly crisp now. pack them in an airtight container.
Enjoy!
