Monday, February 23, 2009

Attack of the Killer Croutons

So this is the wifey...

I get "attack of the killer croutons" all the time, but I never take the time to make them. Stupid of me because it's one of the easiest things in the world to do. Don't forget that they are so easy to screw up by not paying attention. So a few things to pay mind to while wanting that delicious crouton to satisfy the hunger. We have a local bakery that runs almost 24/7. When I buy a baguette in the evening, it was made in the afternoon around 3 pm. I use that bread the next night to make the croutons. You want the bread to be crusty on the outside and still a bit soft on the inside. Most large commercial bakeries (inside large grocery stores) only cook bread overnight or in the morning. Stale is the new black. We use it to get the crunchiest croutons that we can. We never want to waste bread at home because we pay so much for the good stuff, so this is one of the best ways to use it up before it gets moldy! So feel your bread up. On to the good part.....

Things you need:
An oven (with broiler)
1/2 loaf french baguette
4 Tbsp. olive oil
Baking sheet with edges
1/2 Tsp. sea salt
1 Tbsp. freshly cracked black pepper

-Preheat your broiler to 325 degrees.

-Slice your baguette into 1/2 in. thick slices.

-Cut those slices into rectangles (cubes) any way you slice or dice it.

-Put onto a baking pan with edges (as I've almost burned our house down doing this without edges).

-Pour 4 tablespoons of olive oil onto the bread and gently toss around with your hands so all is incorporated.

-Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of sea salt onto the bread.

-Next put your cracked black pepper onto the bread in the same gentle fashion. Hahaha sprinkle it on!

-Broil those puppies for 4 minutes.

-Take them out and flip them. Put them back in.

-Broil for 4 more minutes.

-Take them out when the buzzer goes off and let them rest for a few minutes until cool.

Adding the hot croutons to salad prior to being cool will wilt your lettuce and end up with a mushy salad, and nobody wants mushy salad! The croutons should be toasty brown in color and crispy when you bite into them. Toss and serve with all your favorites! No more to store bought stale croutons that have all the preservatives and none of the taste!

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