House Made Croutons Save Money, provide a Better Product

 
House made croutons save money by using product that would normally be discarded, and our herb recipe is far better than any crouton we could buy.

We save the heels of our bread as well as slices that go beyond the date of maximum freshness and save them in the reach-in for use in our crouton recipe later.


TIPS ON MAKING YOUR OWN CROUTONS:

Dice bread into cubes no larger than 1/2 inch. Larger croutons are harder to eat in a salad.

Allow for enough stale bread to accumulate to make a worthwhile batch of croutons. If stored covered in a cool, dry atmosphere, croutons will last for weeks on end.

Season using a mixture of dry leaf herbs. We use oregano, basil and thyme. We also add granulated garlic, granulated onion, kosher salt and black pepper. Moisten mixture with a quality vegetable oil. We use canola. Do not use butter or margarine, as these ingredients can cause the croutons to burn when toasting, and may go rancid during the storage period.

Layer the crouton mixture on parchment paper covered sheet trays. Bake in convection oven at 325 degrees,low fan setting; mix with a spatula every five minutes. Toast until lightly golden brown. Do not over-toast, as croutons will become bitter.