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Home » Bread

Oven baked croutons

05/01/2023 by Judith Leave a Comment

A bowl of homemade croutons with garnish

Croutons are small cubes of bread baked in the oven with olive oil and seasoning and make a perfect topping for soups or salads. They can be prepared in minutes using ingredients you are likely to have in your kitchen and are good way to make use of stale bread. Other ingredients such as herbs, garlic or Parmesan can easily be added to suit your taste. The quantities in this recipe are sufficient for around 3 generous servings.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
A bowl of homemade croutons

Ingredients

  • 100g bread cut into small cubes - any type of bread can be used, even slightly stale bread, in fact this is a perfect way to make use of any old bread
  • Sea salt
  • About 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
A jar of olive oil, a salt mill and a bowl of bread cubes
Bread cubes, extra virgin olive oil and salt

Before starting this recipe

Preheat the oven to 180oC, 350oF, gas mark 4.

How to make croutons

Start by cutting the the bread into small cubes. If the bread you are using has a thick crust it is better to cut this off and just use the central part of the bread. If the crust is soft it can be left on if you wish.

A bowl of bread cut into cubes
Cut the bread into cubes and place in a bowl

Place the cubes of bread in a bowl. Sprinkle a little salt evenly over the bread and then drizzle some olive oil over the bread cubes. Toss the bread taking care not to break or squash the cubes.

A bowl of pieces of bread drizzled with olive oil
Sprinkle salt over the bread and drizzle with olive oil
Unbaked croutons in a bowl
Toss the bread cubes to make sure they are evenly coated with olive oil and salt

How to bake

Transfer the unbaked croutons onto a baking sheet.

A tray of unbaked croutons
Transfer the to a non-stick baking sheet

Bake the croutons in the preheated oven until they start to turn golden. This is likely to take around 10 minutes or so but check after they have been in the oven for a few minutes and check again regularly. The croutons will bake quickly and some may cook faster than others particularly those at the edge and any small pieces. Toss part way through the cooking time so that they bake evenly. If some cubes look ready before others have finished cooking they can be removed from the tray before returning the rest to the oven to finish baking.

A tray of freshly baked croutons
Cook until slightly golden and crunchy

Leave to cool. Your homemade croutons are now ready to use or can be stored in an airtight container or frozen.

Homemade croutons in a serving bowl
Homemade crunchy croutons ready to serve

Tips

  1. Use slightly stale bread rather than fresh bread as it will be easier to cut into cubes. Fresh bread tends to squash easily but can still be used if that is all you have.
  2. Aim to cut the bread into similar sized cubes so that they will cook in a similar time.
  3. Your baked croutons can be stored in an airtight container for several days. They can also be frozen and then defrosted in the oven when you wish to use them.
  4. Other seasonings such as dried herbs, Parmesan, garlic or pepper can be added to the bread before baking. If you plan to add fresh herbs such as parsley it is better to add them after baking.
  5. Sprinkle your crunchy croutons on top of a green leafy salad or a serving of soup such as minestrone or winter vegetable soup to add seasoning and texture.

Soup recipes to try with your croutons

  • Overhead view of a bowl of spicy carrot and lentil soup.
    Spicy carrot and lentil soup
    Cook Time55 Minutes
  • Vegetarian minestrone soup in a bowl.
    Vegetarian minestrone soup
    Cook Time1 Hours 5 Minutes
  • Winter vegetable soup
    Winter vegetable soup
    Cook Time55 Minutes
  • Sweet potato and ginger soup
    Sweet potato and ginger soup
    Cook Time50 Minutes

Croutons

Oven baked croutons

Croutons are small cubes of bread baked in the oven with olive oil and seasoning and make a perfect topping for soups or salads. They can be prepared in minutes using ingredients you are likely to have in your kitchen and are good way to make use of stale bread.
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 25 minutes mins
Course Side Dish
Cuisine European
Servings 3
Calories 175 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 100 g bread
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Instructions
 

To prepare the croutons

  • Cut the bread into small cubes. If the bread you are using has a thick crust it is better to cut this off and just use the central part of the bread. If the crust is soft it can be left on if you wish. 
  • Place the cubes of bread in a bowl. Sprinkle a little salt evenly over the bread and then drizzle some olive oil over the bread cubes. Toss the bread cubes taking care not to break or squash them. 
  • Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 180oC, 350oF, gas mark 4. 
    Bake the croutons until they start to turn golden. This is likely to take around 10 minutes or so but check after they have been in the oven for a few minutes and check again regularly. The croutons will bake quickly and some are likely to cook quicker than others particularly those at the edge and any which are smaller. Toss part way through the cooking time so that they bake evenly. If some cubes look ready before others have finished cooking they can be removed from the tray before returning the rest to the oven to finish baking. 
  • Your croutons are now ready to serve, or they can be stored in an airtight container or frozen.

Nutrition

Calories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gSodium: 551mgPotassium: 47mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1IUVitamin C: 0.1mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Bread
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Welcome to Veggie Ideas! I'm Judith and I created this site out of a love of good food, home cooking and a desire to share recipes so that others can enjoy them too. 

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