Learn how to easily make baked croutons with Parmesan and garlic, and you’ll never buy bags of croutons from the store again. We often eat Caesar salad with grilled chicken, especially at our favorite lunch hangout. So, I admit, I rarely make the effort to make croutons and Caesar dressing unless it’s a special entertaining occasion.
As a matter of fact, Caesar salad with homemade croutons is one of my favorite dishes to prepare for a crowd.
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Croutons For Caesar Salad
I learned how to make Caesar salad table side from the executive chef at the Marriott Crystal City Gateway Hotel back in the early 80s, and I have never found a better recipe. It all starts with homemade croutons from day old bread loaves.
At the time, the Marriott was exploring styles of catering service and since we were one of the flagship hotels at the time, I helped to write the book on catering, so to speak.
It was up to me to learn this recipe and then teach it to my team of servers so that each Caesar salad could be presented, made, tossed and served table side. We finished each salad with freshly baked croutons from the hotel kitchens. I’m going to show you how to make them from scratch!
What You Will Need For Homemade Croutons
There are few simple ingredients needed. However, the most important thing to know is that the croutons for caesar salad must be made from day old bread. Stale bread to be exact.
For this recipe, you will need: Day old long hoagie rolls, butter, olive oil, garlic powder, Parmesan, salt, pepper and parsley.
We used fresh parsley in our recipe because we had some leftover curly parsley at hand. But dried parsley is just fine. If you want to riff a little, then dried Italian herbs would do nicely as well.
Watch How We Made This Easy Croutons Recipe
How To Make Homemade Croutons For Caesar Salad
Preheat an oven to 350 degrees and then cut a loaf of bread (1 pound) into 1 inch cubes (5 cups).
Melt the butter (4 tbsp) and add olive oil (1tbsp) garlic powder (1 tsp) parsley (1 tbsp), Parmesan (1 tbsp) salt (½ tsp) and black pepper (½ tsp)
In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the seasoned herb butter mixture until the bread cubes are evenly coated.
Scatter the bread cubes in one layer over a large baking tray. Cook them for 15 minutes until the cubes are golden brown and crispy. Remove the croutons from the oven and stir the tray of croutons.
Serve your homemade baked croutons immediately or let cool uncovered completely to store.
Bread Croutons In Salad
So, what are croutons made of? Bread garlic croutons are the norm and can be made from any kind of bread. Try sourdough for extra crunch or 15 grain whole wheat for nuttiness. I’ll admit, one of my favorite croutons can be found at Applebee’s Restaurants. The pumpernickel croutons at Applebee’s, are amazing. They are cut in small dices and perfectly seasoned and crunchy.
The point is this: don’t throw away stale bread. Make croutons. Most classic recipes call for french baguettes. However, in our house we like sub sandwiches so much, we use any leftover sub rolls for our croutons.
However, one of my favorite crouton recipes is fried brunoise potatoes. Crisp on the outside and soft and fluffy on the inside. But wait, a potato crouton? A brunoise cut is a knife cut that is a small cube cut that is uniform. Usually, about a quarter inch in size.
These hot little potato croutons are really amazing in a cold crisp salad. Season the potatoes as they come out of the air fryer with garlic powder and grated Parmesan. Fresh herbs would also enhance the flavors. Go ahead and live a little!
Other Ways To Use Croutons
Croutons are not just for salads. Whether croutons are baked or fried they can be used in a variety of ways. Croutons can be used in French onion soup as a top layer to hold up a slice of melted Gruyere cheese.
Sprinkle homemade croutons into your favorite soup instead of saltine crackers. I am going to explore a recipe for wild mushroom bread pudding using this recipe for croutons as a base.
I think these croutons would make a special topping for macaroni and cheese if they were to crumble up a bit. What do you think?
If you cut the bread into larger cubes, croutons can be used for party entertaining. Serve the large baked bread cubes alongside chips or nachos with marinara sauce or a cheese fondue for dipping. Let’s see what goes first. I guarantee the croutons will disappear quickly!
Scrambled Eggs and Croutons
One of my favorite ways to use leftover homemade croutons are in breakfast scrambled eggs. I like to sauté the baked croutons with butter in a non-stick skillet, and then add 2 to 3 beaten eggs.
Finish this breakfast crouton omelet with any filling that you love! Personally, I add diced tomatoes and spinach, then flip the omelet over. Crown it with shredded cheddar cheese and a dollop of sour cream. Pancake style. Awesome.
Ingredients
- 1 loaf Bread French or Italian rolls
- 4 tbsp Butter melted
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Parmesan grated
- 1 tbsp Parsley
- 1 tsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 350 degrees and then cut a loaf of bread (1 pound) into 1 inch cubes, about (5 cups).
- Melt the butter (4 tbsp) and add olive oil (1tbsp), garlic powder (1 tsp), parsley (1 tbsp), Parmesan (1 tbsp), salt (½ tsp), and black pepper (½ tsp).
- In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the seasoned herb butter mixture until the bread cubes are evenly coated.
- Scatter the bread cubes over a large baking tray and then cook them for 15 minutes until the cubes are golden brown and crispy. Remove from the oven and stir.
- Serve your homemade baked croutons immediately or let cool uncovered completely to store.
Notes
Nutrition
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Have you tried this homemade croutons for caesar salad recipe? Feel free to leave a 5-star rating, and I’d love to hear from you in the comments below.
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