This weekend I bought all the ingredients for big healthy salads; except for one thing, croutons. I hate buying croutons. they are expensive and usually really salty. I decided to make my own. I happened to also buy a baguette and had half of it left. 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. Next time I’m adding fresh parsley along with the grated Parmesan cheese and lots more pepper. I’m eating them like chips, they might not make it to the salad.
