Don't buy them
Commercial croutons are overpriced compared to what they cost in real life, they're generally made with industrial bread of very mediocre quality, and above all they're made with a lot of more or less dodgy stuff: lots of salt, artificial flavoring, extra fat, etc. Avoid them at all costs. Avoid at all costs.
A great way to recycle stale bread
There's no need to use fresh bread to make them; on the contrary, they're much easier to make and detail when the bread is a little dry.How to make them?
It's very simple:
- Cut one or two slices of slightly stale bread with a saw knife, ideally into 1 cm cubes. Depending on your taste, you can use only the crumb of the bread (whiter), or the crumb + crust (more color and flavor).
- In a frying pan over high heat, heat either a little olive oil or a little butter ( clarified if possible), depending on your taste.
- When it's hot, add the bread cubes all at once, stirring quickly to distribute the fat evenly.
Note that the bread cubes act like sponges, sucking up all the fat, but you mustn't add any more, as it would be sucked up again, and this time it would be too greasy.
- Brown the croutons, stirring regularly to evenly brown them.
- Season with salt and pepper at the end of cooking
Use in your chosen recipe, croutons transcend salads in particular, where they bring a contrast of crunchiness, and even of hot-cold if incorporated right out of the pan.
Possible variations:
- Rub the bread pieces with a clove of garlic or 1/2 shallot before cooking.- Instead of salt and pepper, sprinkle cooked croutons with curry powder, paprika, turmeric or other spices of your choice.
Tosum up: It's much better to make your own croutons, as they taste better and cost less.
