Croutons
(Serves 12)
1 baguette, day old bread, (about 2 cups), cut off the crusts
½ tsp granulated garlic (or you can use 1 clove of fresh garlic, minced)
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
½ tsp onion powder
2 tsp fresh herbs, minced, like thyme, parsley and rosemary
2 tblsp melted unsalted butter or olive oil
1 tblsp parmesan cheese, grated
NOTES: You can use fresh bread, or even sandwich bread or sour dough. I pop these in my mouth as a snack, they're that good! The parmesan cheese should be grated fresh with a micro planer or the smallest grid on your grating device!
Pre-heat oven to 325°F. On a sheet tray
Cut your crustless bread into cubes about ¾ inch in size. Set aside.
Add the olive oil or melted butter to a large bowl, then add the spices, herbs and cheese, mix well, dump in all the bread cubes quickly and mix quickly so the oil/butter does not only get into the the first bread cubes that landed on it! Mix, mix, mix!
On a sheet tray, spread out the saturated bread cubes and place in the oven. check every 5 minutes and flip over the cubes with a spatula. When they are golden turn off the oven and remove to cool in a bowl, about 15-20 minutes. Store in an airtight container on your counter, for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for a month.
