Salads are for summertime and salads go best with homemade croutons. Depending on your mood, choose either savory croutons or sweet croutons. Both go great in your favorite salad (or in a soup if you choose). Savory croutons are made with olive oil and herbs. Sweet croutons are made with butter and usually are made from bread with fruit or nuts in it—like Cranberry Nut Bread or California Raisin Bread.
To make savory croutons, start with the bread of your choice. Two of our favorites are Tuscany Tomato Basil Breadand New England Herb Bread. Using a bread knife, slice the bread into 1/2-inch thick slices and then cut the slices into 1/2-inch cubes. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. For a small loaf of bread, mix 4 tablespoons of oil in a bowl with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper. Add the herbs of your choice—either fresh or dried—such as basil, oregano, cilantro, thyme, celery leaves, or parsley. Stir to dissolve the salt and then add the bread cubes tossing them lightly until coated with oil and herbs. Spread the cubes on a baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cubes start to brown and are crisp all the way through. Baking time will vary significantly depending on the size of the croutons, how many are on the sheet, and how moist the bread is. It is important to drive the moisture from the croutons.
Whatever croutons you do not use immediately, freeze in a plastic bag. To thaw and use, heat the frozen croutons on a baking sheet at 250 degrees until thawed and crisp again.
We love dried fruit and nuts on our salads. The next best thing is croutons made with bread that has fruit, nuts, and maybe a little cinnamon. Make the croutons just as for savory croutons but omit the salt, pepper, and herbs and toss the bread in melted butter instead of olive oil. If you choose, sprinkle the cubes with cinnamon before baking.
More recommended breads:
Click here to see the printable version of this article.