How To Make Croutons

Croutons (croûtons in French) are a good way to use up stale bread and are great with dips, soups or tossed through salads.

The name crouton is a diminutive of the French croûte, meaning crust. Originally crisped slices of baguette were called croutes, with the word crouton was reserved for little cubes of fried bread. Today crouton is generally used for both slices and cubes.

Croutons keep well in a paper towel-lined airtight container in a cool place for up to a week, though they’re so irresistibly moreish I’ve rarely had them that long!

Here’s How To Make Crouton Slices

• Preheat oven to 200°C.
• Thinly slice a baguette on the diagonal and place in a large bowl (you’ll get 12–16 crouton out of half a baguette).
• Drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt flakes; if you’re serving croutons with something salty, like tapenade, omit the salt.
• Use your hands to toss everything together to coat the bread well.
• Arrange on a baking tray in a single layer and bake for 10 minutes or so, until golden.
• Set aside to cool.

Here’s How To Make Crouton Cubes

• Cut slices of bread into large cubes, removing the crusts first if you prefer (you can use them to make breadcrumbs).
• Heat olive oil in a small saucepan, adding a clove of bruised garlic if you like.
• Add bread and stir for a few minutes, until crisp and golden.
• Scoop out of the oil onto a paper towel-lined rack and set aside to cool.