CRUNCHY GARLIC CROUTONS!! DELICIOUS KITCHEN BASIC!
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Today I am sharing a real kitchen basic! Homemade garlic croutons! These are simple and delicious and can be made with day old, or leftover bread that will make them super economical! A good way to help use up what you have on hand! Also a staple for summer salads that can be made on the fly with a handful of ingredients when cooking seems off the table in this horrible heat!
Today I am using some ciabatta buns that need to get eaten. I just cut them in strips and then tore them into smaller pieces. The trick here is that you don't really want them too small. No bigger than an inch but mine are about half an inch. You want to be able to eat them without too big of a mouthful.
These are going to be done on top of the stove in a non stick skillet. I am once again, using my Blue Diamond sautee pan. I really love this thing and it helps to have the food glide over the surface without too much resistance. I have left a link above where you can find one for yourself.
Heat up 1/4 cup of olive oil in the pan over medium heat. I know that sounds like a lot of oil, but trust me. You want your croutons to be delicious and this is one way of doing it. Then add in 4 cloves of minced garlic to the oil. Stir well then quickly add the bread cubes. Start tossing! You want good oil coverage on all of your croutons. Now the waiting game begins.
A helpful tip for making croutons is to always keep them moving. I like to use two wooden spoons to help facilitate this. When you cut through the cubes making alternating "X" like movements, you will move everything around very evenly. This helps to ensure nothing burns. Burnt garlic is not what we are going after here. Nobody wants that!
The process from bread cubes to croutons can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes depending on how hot you have your burner. You will be able to tell when they are ready because they will no longer be soft and they will sound, feel and look very different. The bread will shrink as it dries out and it will sound crispy. You will also be able to tell by the way the bread cubes feel on the end of your spoon. So all your senses will be engaged here.
When the croutons have reached their desired level of crispness, turn off the heat, sprinkle over some Italian seasoning and salt then give everything a couple more good tosses. Now you can transfer to a bowl and allow them to cool.
These croutons are great in salads, sprinkled over soups or just eaten out of hand as a tasty snack. I will most likely, have to hide some for my intended use so the family will not consume them all before I get to make my final video in this series. A delicious chicken Caesar salad with creamy Caesar dressing, crisp romaine lettuce, grilled chicken and veggies, topped with parmesan frico and these delicious, crispy, garlic croutons.
Of course, you can make these in the oven if you prefer to go that route. You would toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, salt and seasonings as well as the garlic in a large bowl. Then spread on a baking sheet and pop into a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes until crisp, golden and delicious. Making them on the stove top takes about half the time and does not heat the kitchen like using the oven. But you should do what works best for you.
I hope you give these homemade, crunchy garlic croutons a try sometime soon and I hope you love them!
Happy Eating!
Get my cookbooks here:
Business Inquiries can be sent to:
[email protected]
Check me out on social media!
Facebook:
Twitter: @noreenskitchen
Instagram:
Google +
***MAILING ADDRESS****
Noreen's Kitchen
PO Box 14173
New Bern, NC 28561
Have a question for me? Send me an email:
[email protected]
Noreen's Kitchen Community Guidelines (The Rules)
Any links to Amazon are, in many cases, affiliate links.
Produced by Noreen's Kitchen ©2008-2016 all rights reserved All embeds must live link to Noreen's Kitchen channel. No Editorial Excerpts without permission, Violators agree to pay royalties, all court costs, all collections & all lawyers fees.
Today I am sharing a real kitchen basic! Homemade garlic croutons! These are simple and delicious and can be made with day old, or leftover bread that will make them super economical! A good way to help use up what you have on hand! Also a staple for summer salads that can be made on the fly with a handful of ingredients when cooking seems off the table in this horrible heat!
Today I am using some ciabatta buns that need to get eaten. I just cut them in strips and then tore them into smaller pieces. The trick here is that you don't really want them too small. No bigger than an inch but mine are about half an inch. You want to be able to eat them without too big of a mouthful.
These are going to be done on top of the stove in a non stick skillet. I am once again, using my Blue Diamond sautee pan. I really love this thing and it helps to have the food glide over the surface without too much resistance. I have left a link above where you can find one for yourself.
Heat up 1/4 cup of olive oil in the pan over medium heat. I know that sounds like a lot of oil, but trust me. You want your croutons to be delicious and this is one way of doing it. Then add in 4 cloves of minced garlic to the oil. Stir well then quickly add the bread cubes. Start tossing! You want good oil coverage on all of your croutons. Now the waiting game begins.
A helpful tip for making croutons is to always keep them moving. I like to use two wooden spoons to help facilitate this. When you cut through the cubes making alternating "X" like movements, you will move everything around very evenly. This helps to ensure nothing burns. Burnt garlic is not what we are going after here. Nobody wants that!
The process from bread cubes to croutons can take anywhere from 10 to 15 minutes depending on how hot you have your burner. You will be able to tell when they are ready because they will no longer be soft and they will sound, feel and look very different. The bread will shrink as it dries out and it will sound crispy. You will also be able to tell by the way the bread cubes feel on the end of your spoon. So all your senses will be engaged here.
When the croutons have reached their desired level of crispness, turn off the heat, sprinkle over some Italian seasoning and salt then give everything a couple more good tosses. Now you can transfer to a bowl and allow them to cool.
These croutons are great in salads, sprinkled over soups or just eaten out of hand as a tasty snack. I will most likely, have to hide some for my intended use so the family will not consume them all before I get to make my final video in this series. A delicious chicken Caesar salad with creamy Caesar dressing, crisp romaine lettuce, grilled chicken and veggies, topped with parmesan frico and these delicious, crispy, garlic croutons.
Of course, you can make these in the oven if you prefer to go that route. You would toss the bread cubes with the olive oil, salt and seasonings as well as the garlic in a large bowl. Then spread on a baking sheet and pop into a 350 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes until crisp, golden and delicious. Making them on the stove top takes about half the time and does not heat the kitchen like using the oven. But you should do what works best for you.
I hope you give these homemade, crunchy garlic croutons a try sometime soon and I hope you love them!
Happy Eating!
Get my cookbooks here:
Business Inquiries can be sent to:
[email protected]
Check me out on social media!
Facebook:
Twitter: @noreenskitchen
Instagram:
Google +
***MAILING ADDRESS****
Noreen's Kitchen
PO Box 14173
New Bern, NC 28561
Have a question for me? Send me an email:
[email protected]
Noreen's Kitchen Community Guidelines (The Rules)
Any links to Amazon are, in many cases, affiliate links.
Produced by Noreen's Kitchen ©2008-2016 all rights reserved All embeds must live link to Noreen's Kitchen channel. No Editorial Excerpts without permission, Violators agree to pay royalties, all court costs, all collections & all lawyers fees.
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