It is an indisputable fact that croutons make any salad tastier. They're necessary for some salads (Caesar, I'm looking at you!) but an improvement on all. They turn something bound with compost (stale bread) into something wonderful, salty and crunchy. And the best ones are homemade.
The other day I toured the crouton section of my local grocery store. I was surprised to see the unit price for a bag: $9.21 per pound! It's outrageous, especially because store-bought croutons aren't really that good, and because you can make incredible croutons at home with just a few ingredients, minimal effort, and just a little time. And once you've made the homemade version—from bread that starts out delicious and, with the addition of fat, spices, and salt, gets even bigger—there's no turning back.
First, the bread:
While technically any bread can to be croutoned, the character of the bread you choose will determine the resulting crouton. Enriched bread, like soft bread AND challah, toast faster because they contain sugar and when completely dry have an almost powdery quality. Bread with inclusions, like bread with olives OR nuts, will contribute those flavors to the finished crouton, which can be good or bad, depending on how you plan to use it. Sweet breads, such as cinnamon raisin, can be made into croutons, although the use case for a sweet crouton is probably more limited than that made with a good all-purpose bread like EG Country bread, which gives flaky croutons, or a plain sandwich piece, which gives denser ones.
To be clear, I do not bake bread to make homemade croutons; croutons are simply a byproduct of baking bread. I collect stale heels and slices in a bag in my fridge, and when that bag gets in the way of the freezer door closing, I take it out, let the bread thaw, grate or dice it into bite-sized pieces, and make a pile of croutons.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Tear or cube?
Even in our Test Kitchen, there's debate over whether you should dice your bread into polite squares or tear it into jagged, irregular pieces. I'm torn on the team because I love the variety of texture those irregular pieces offer, and the way some pieces brown more than others and some stay a little softer and chewier, but you can choose your own adventure . In either case, don't make your cubes or pieces too large; a crouton should fit on a fork with other salad ingredients, not be a bite on its own.
Butter or olive oil?
To become extremely crunchy and tasty, a crouton needs a little fat. You can use either melted butter or olive oil; croutons made with olive oil will last longer (weeks) than croutons made with butter (days).
condiments
At the very least, the croutons should be seasoned with salt. But you can take a more maximalist approach: Herbs of Provence, Pizza seasoning, zaatar, and garlic powder (or garlic salt) are all fair game. You can also infuse the butter or olive oil with some fresh herbs and garlic or spices: Heat the fat in a pan over low heat, add a sprig of fresh rosemary or thyme and a peeled clove of garlic and let the mixture cook for little time. low heat until fragrant; fish out the garlic and herbs before slathering the infused fat on your bread.
Photography by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
Cooking method
Once you've determined whether to dice or tear, mix in olive oil or butter, team salt or team salt plus other flavorings, the only thing left is to decide how to cook your croutons. Yes, you can cook them in a pan in the oven, but this only works for small batches and you have to pay close attention, stirring often so that the croutons brown evenly throughout. Annoying! Easier to throw greased and seasoned bread in a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 350°F until golden brown, crispy on the outside but still slightly soft on the inside, stirring occasionally. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes, although the exact time will depend on the type of bread you used and how big your croutons are. Trust me on this last point: If you cook your croutons until they're crispy all the way through, you'll end up with toothpicks because they'll continue to get crisp as they cool. And that's not a salad upgrade, it's a liability.
Homemade croutons are less expensive than in the store; they are also ten times tastier. They enhance any salad on which they are sprinkled, and can also be used as a garnish for soups, or crushed with a rolling pin and sprinkled over pasta or used as a topping for an omelette.
And they tend to disappear quickly; if I leave a pan of freshly baked croutons on the counter, half the batch seems to disappear from the baking sheet long before the salad is done.
The best bread for croutons is the bread you have. But Pain de Campagne sourdough is a great everyday bread. Watch Martin do it in this video.
Cover photo (Homemade croutons) by Rick Holbrook; food styling by Kaitlin Wayne
