Croutons are the little reward we give ourselves for eating a salad.
Not that there’s anything wrong with salad. I love salad. Especially when it is topped with crunchy, caloric croutons.
They are the cherry on top of a sundae, if the sundae were made of lettuce and vegetables. They are what transforms an ordinary salad into a meal.
Of course, you can always use the pebble-like crouton nuggets that come in a box, if you don’t like flavor or your teeth. But if you want croutons worth celebrating, make them yourself.
It’s easy. It’s even fun. And the best part is that when you make them you get to snack on croutons.
I began with what is probably the most standard method of making croutons, baking them in the oven. I wanted my croutons to be thick, so I used Texas toast (you could also begin with an unsliced rustic, artisanal bread, but square slices of Texas toast will yield more croutons per slice).
It is always best to begin with slightly stale bread, but the loaf I used was fresh. So I started out by toasting the bread very lightly before cutting it into crouton-sized pieces.
These I placed on a baking sheet along with olive oil, a pinch of thyme and oregano, plus salt and garlic powder. I tossed them all together, baked them, flipped them and baked them some more for a total of just 10 minutes.
When they were done, they were golden in color and subtly flavored, with a delightful crunch.
Stove top croutons use the same idea, but the result is lighter in texture, with maybe less crunch. For these, I melted butter into olive oil (I love the blend of flavors) and lightly sautéed a crushed clove of garlic until it was wonderfully fragrant and lightly brown on both sides.
I discarded the garlic and added thyme, oregano and salt, tossed in the cubes of bread and sautéed until they were done. They were so light, you could almost convince yourself they were healthful, except for the way they soaked up all that oil and butter.
So I made another batch that was even worse for you (which translates to “tastes even better”). I deep-fat fried them.
I fried two batches; the first at 350 degrees, which is the low end of deep-frying. These cooked quickly, perhaps 20 seconds in all, including flipping them once. But they were greasier than I wanted them to be, so I tried it again at 375 degrees, which is toward the high end of deep-frying.
These were even faster, taking maybe 15 seconds in all. You have to watch them closely and get them out of the oil to avoid overcooking them, but the difference was significant. This batch was decidedly less greasy.
I’m not saying they weren’t at all greasy. I’m just saying they were less greasy.
They were also the crispiest of all the croutons I cooked, as well as the easiest to make. It’s just bread, oil and salt.
Next, I tried something completely different: cornbread croutons. I had them at a restaurant, and they were so good — crunchy, yet mildly sweet — I knew they were something I wanted to try.
To begin, obviously, you need cornbread. I cheated and used a mix out of a box (I know, but I was doing a lot of cooking that day). You can cheat even more and use store-bought cornbread, or you can make your own.
Once you have the cornbread, the rest is anyone-can-do-it simple. A bit of oil, a splash of salt and a few minutes in the oven is all it takes to create impressive croutons that are as delicious as they are unexpected.
I served mine in soup. Then, the next day, I put them on a salad.
The last type of croutons I made are meant for soup, but they are also good in salads, if you aren’t expecting anything crunchy.
Root vegetables, as it turns out, make excellent croutons. I cut a sweet potato into a dice, tossed the pieces in olive oil and then lightly coated them in bread crumbs. Then I roasted them in the oven until they were tender.
As a flavorful garnish for a vegetable soup, they were perfect.
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OVEN-BAKED CROUTONS
Yield: 4 servings
3 pieces thick-sliced bread
3 tablespoons olive oil
Pinch dried thyme
Pinch dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove crusts from bread. If bread is fresh, toast as lightly as possible. Cut each slice into 9 pieces.
2. In a baking pan, mix together oil, thyme, oregano, salt and garlic powder. Add bread pieces and mix to coat. Bake until golden brown on one side, about 8 minutes. Flip pieces and bake until golden brown on the other side, about 2 minutes.
Per serving: 123 calories; 11 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; no cholesterol; 2 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; 1 g fiber; 205 mg sodium; 40 mg calcium
STOVE-TOP CROUTONS
Yield: 4 servings
3 pieces thick-sliced bread
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, crushed
Pinch dried thyme
Pinch dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Remove crusts from bread and, if bread is fresh, toast as lightly as possible. Cut each slice into 9 pieces.
2. Place a medium or large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil and butter. When butter has melted, add garlic and cook until very fragrant and light brown on both sides. Remove garlic and add thyme, oregano and salt.
3. Stir in bread pieces and sauté until golden brown on both sides.
Per serving: 148 calories; 12 g fat; 4 g saturated fat; 15 mg cholesterol; 2 g protein; 9 g carbohydrate; no sugar; no fiber; 205 mg sodium; 39 mg calcium
DEEP-FRIED CROUTONS
Yield: 4 servings
Vegetable oil for frying
3 pieces thick-sliced toast
Salt
1. Pour oil at least 2 inches deep into pan and heat to 375 degrees. While the oil heats, remove crusts from bread and, if bread is fresh, toast as lightly as possible. Cut each slice into 9 pieces. When oil is at temperature, add a handful of the pieces (this will take a few batches).
2. Watch very closely and flip pieces when bottom is light brown; this will only take a few seconds. When brown on both sides — again, not many seconds later — remove with a slotted spoon or spider and allow to drain on paper towels. Immediately sprinkle with salt.
Per serving: 273 calories; 28 g fat; 4 g saturated fat; no cholesterol; 1 g protein; 6 g carbohydrate; 1 g sugar; no fiber; 98 mg sodium; 31 mg calcium
CORNBREAD CROUTONS
Yield: 4 servings
Half of an 8-by-8-inch pan of cornbread
1/4 cup oil, preferably corn oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Slice cornbread into crouton-sized pieces, no bigger than 2 inches long by 1 1/2 inches wide. In a baking pan, mix together oil and salt. Add cornbread pieces and mix to coat. Bake, occasionally flipping, until lightly browned on all sides, about 10 minutes.
Per serving: 370 calories; 21 g fat; 5 g saturated fat; 43 mg cholesterol; 5 g protein; 41 g carbohydrate; 12 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 595 mg sodium; 101 mg calcium
VEGETABLE CROUTONS
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
2 cups diced root vegetables (potato, sweet potato, turnip, beet, etc.)
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup bread crumbs
Pinch salt
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Toss diced root vegetables in oil until covered. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and salt and toss until the bread crumbs adhere to the vegetables. Roast on baking sheet in oven until fork tender (the smaller the dice, the faster they will cook). Serve with soup.
Per serving (based on 4): 112 calories; 5 g fat; 1 g saturated fat; no cholesterol; 2 g protein; 14 g carbohydrate; 3 g sugar; 2 g fiber; 123 mg sodium; 27 mg calcium
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