Homemade Croutons

I have been making homemade croutons for awhile now and I just went through making them again and realized that I have never posted the recipe!!!

I took a few different recipes and mixed them together so I am not even sure what was the main source of my inspiration.  I know that we were going to have dinner and I had to throw together something for company so I wanted to add croutons to the salad.  I grabbed a bag of cubed bread from the freezer the first time but this time I had a loaf of bread that was dried out that no one was eating.  I cut it up into bite sized cubes.  I do keep cubed bread in the freezer to make homemade stuffing, homemade croutons and homemade bread crumbs.  It is always good to use everything we have and these are my few methods to use up all the bread from our homemade bread.

I melted the butter in a 12 inch pan and added spices.  Literally to taste or whatever you have left in the cupboard.  I used basil, oregano, garlic salt, and Parmesan cheese this time.  Other times I have added seasoned salt, Italian Seasonings, Pizza Seasonings and anything else I grab.  

After the butter is melted, add the cubes of bread and stir.

After they are fully coated a little browned in the pan, you have two choices.  One is to put the pan directly into the oven if you have an oven safe pan and don't have to make a second batch.  The best benefit is that you only have to dirty one pan.  If you need to, dump the seasoned cubes on a cookie sheet and evenly spread out

Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.  They come out looking a little more brown and a little harder.  

These are super yummy hot or cold on pasta or salad.

I store the finished croutons in a sealed plastic container in the cupboard.  They frequently get used up quickly because they are so tasty!!!

Homemade Croutons

Leftover Bread
1-2 sticks Butter or Margarine
Seasonings to Taste

Cut the bread into cubes for the size you would like.  Melt a stick or two of butter in a large skillet.  Add seasonings of choice like garlic powder, garlic salt, oregano, basil, and Parmesan cheese.  Stir the bread in the skillet until coated with the butter mixture.  Bake at 350 degree in oven until golden brown and more solid to the touch.  Serve immediately or store in sealed container.