Croutons

Notes

I once read that the reason the French hate Americans is because we don't make our own croutons. Now you can do your part to help Franco-American relations.

I worked in a cafeteria during college. Eventually, one of the jobs I got to do involved making croutons. There was no set recipe so each of us made it up as we went along. Bread, butter, and lots of garlic powder were the common ingredients that we all used. I've added my own touches over the years and these croutons are pretty darned good.

As for the bread, nothing is going to be better than the 1# loaves of cheddar cheese bread made by Old Town Baking Company and sold at many SoCal farmers markets. If you leave SoCal, good luck finding its equal.

For garlic powder I prefer actual powder, rather than the garlic "powder" that is really granulated (more the texture of salt than a powder). I just find that it works better. You are going to need a big cookie sheet for this. You can always find them at professional chef stores but these days you can even get them (the good, sturdy ones) at Costco (sometimes).

Ingredients

• 1# loaf of cheddar cheese bread
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Onion powder
• Dried parsley
• Cayenne pepper

Directions

1. Slice the bread into crouton-sized bits (don't worry, it's not going to be perfect) and put in big mixing bowl.
2. Melt the butter in a liquid measuring cup so it's easy to pour.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 275°.
4. Pour just a bit of the butter over the top of the bread (you should be able to do this three more times).
5. Sprinkle garlic powder and paprika over bread then mix (I use a spatula).
6. Repeat the last two steps but also add onion powder.
7. Again but with parsley.
8. Again but with cayenne pepper. Careful! You only need a couple of sprinkles or the croutons will be too hot because a little goes a long way.
9. Put non-stick spray onto cookie sheet, spread bread onto sheet, and place in oven.
10. Turn bread over every 30 minutes (it's better to set a timer). Should take about 2 hours.
11. I then turn off the oven and leave the croutons in overnight. It makes sure they're nice and dry. Don't forget them in the morning! You can put them in a gallon-sized ziploc bag and store in the refrigerator.