Homemade Croutons

I'm always on the look out for ways to save money and reduce our waste.  I recently found a way to do both and the result is super yummy!  Or at least we think so!

 

We love salad!  Especially when it has stuff like croutons, sunflower seeds, tortilla strips, etc in it. I found I was constantly buying croutons.  Not that croutons are all that expensive, but considering it's mostly bread...well, lets just say I was getting a little annoyed at how much I was spending on croutons each month!

 

One day while cleaning out my freezer, I realized how many bread crusts I had thrown in the freezer to use for making things like stuffing, meatballs and hamburgers.  It dawned on me that perhaps the bread crusts would make fantastic croutons...and they do!





I googled how to make croutons and was completely overwhelmed with the variety of recipes.  I decided to use what I liked from each recipe and make my own recipe.  Here it is...

 

Homemade Croutons

 

20 cups cubed and toasted bread crusts

1/2 cup oil

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp seasoning salt

2 tsp parsley flakes

1/2 tsp pepper.

 

Combine oil and spices.  Drizzle over bread cubes.  Place in a roaster and bake for 2 hours at 225F, stirring every 1/2 hour.  Make sure the croutons are completely dry.  This may take more or less baking time, depending on how dry your bread was to begin with.  Store in a sealed container.

 

Enjoy!!