This weekend I bought all the ingredients for big healthy salads; except for one thing, croutons. Â I hate buying croutons. they are expensive and usually really salty. Â I decided to make my own. I happened to also buy a baguette and had half of it left. Â Here is my experiment.
1/2 baguette, sliced 1 inch think then quartered
1 heaping TBSP finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp sea alt
several cracks of fresh pepper
3 tsp melted butter
1 tsp olive oil
2 tsp grated Parmesan cheese
Place cubed bread in a large bowl along with garlic, salt and pepper.  Pour melted butter and oil over bread and vigorously shake/stir ingredients so bread is completely coated. Spread bread on shallow baking pan in single layer and bake at 325-350 degrees for 15-18 minutes till golden brown.  Turning halfway through may be necessary.
Remove from oven, immediately empty into a bowl, add grated Parmesan and stir until completely coated. They are ready to eat still warm.
I impressed myself. These were tasty. Â Next time I’m adding fresh parsley along with the grated Parmesan cheese and lots more pepper. Â I’m eating them like chips, they might not make it to the salad.
