Croutons, You'd Better Not Be Buying Them!

Last time I had a dinner party at my house. I made a salad with homemade croutons. My friend asked me if I made them myself. " Really, you made those from scratch?" Croutons are one of the easiest things to make. I can't understand why someone would buy fake Parmesan, preservative soaked, crusty old pieces of bread at the supermarket. Oh yeah and they are usually fried too! Making them at home literally takes 10 minutes. All you have to do is cut old bread into cubes, toss with olive oil, season and bake in the oven. The correct baking time varies. I usually put them in at 400 degrees for 10 minutes but some prefer to bake them at a lower heat for longer. Just keep checking, they burn easily. I have made my share of burnt to death croutons.
I like to season them with salt and pepper. Sometimes I make zaatar croutons. These taste great on Greek salads. You can find this spice at any spice store. I got mine at Market Spice. Other ideas for croutons can be parmesan, paprika or garlic powder. Just experiment.Any old bread is fine. The best croutons that I ever made were from a homemade Fucaccia bread that had dried out into a big hard block. Now I am crouton crazy. I buy an extra loaf of day old bread at the store which is usually half price and make the croutons while getting ready for bed. Keep in an air-tight container and hide from the snackers!