There is something about croutons that make dishes that little bit extra special. There is no reason for this other than the fact I only make them when I’m feeling fancy. That fact in itself is a travesty as they are insanely easy to make and hardly any effort. These Easy Chilli and Garlic Croutons are my go to croutons they are simple but full of flavour and texture and almost instant gratification.
The main secret to crisp croutons is to use slightly stale bread. There are a number of ways to get to stale bread, the most obvious being use old bread. However if you take some slices out and leave them in a single layer for a few hours then it will get dryer and slightly stale. The final way for emergency croutons preheat the oven to 100ºC and place your slices of bred in there to dry out.
The reason you want dried out bread is because it is thirstier. So when you add the oil the cubes of bread soak it up, it is this that helps make them extra crisp when you bake them. I like to use a flavour-infused oil, Chilli, Garlic or Lemon are all fantastic, this helps pump up the flavour of these little cubes of heaven. Then adding other dried herbs and spices to complement the oil flavour.
There are many uses for croutons whether sitting a top soup and crowning salads. If you want some different uses they make a fantastic topping for pasta bake or make mini savoury bread puddings with them. How about smashing them up into crumbs and stirring through cooked spaghetti with lemon butter for a delicious cost effective meal.
This is one of those things that is a great way to introduce cooking to children. Croutons are ideal for short attention spans. As well, the fact it doesn’t involve open flames and doesn’t need to use particularly sharp knives is a plus – in fact you could easily cut the bread up with scissors or even tear with your hands. Then simply stir everything together and bake for less than 10 minutes. This means the children don’t need a lot of patience to see the result of their work.
Other great recipes to do with kids are:
Sweet Summer Rolls
Coronation Chicken
Mini Egg Scones
Three Ingredient Fudge
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
I would love to know what you think of these Easy Chilli and Garlic Croutons. How would you use them? Let me know in the comments below. If you try them I’d love to see your pictures tag me on social media or use the #CUBBintheKitchen for a chance to be featured in my stories.
Happy Eating!
Easy Chilli & Garlic Croutons
The perfect crisp topping for soups and salads!
- 4 Slices Bread ((Use your favourite))
- 4 tbsp Garlic Oil
- 1 tsp Dried Chilli Flakes
- 1 tsp Sea Salt Flakes
Pre heat your oven 180ºC
Cut the crusts off your sliced bread (You can whizz these up into breadcrubs and freeze)
Slice the bread into cubes and place into a large bowl.
Add the Garlic Oil, Chilli Flakes & Salt to the cubes of bread.
Mix until each cube of bread is coated in oil and the flakes of Chilli and Salt are evenly distrubed.
Place on a baking tray in a single layer and bake for 8 minutes, checking after 5.
You want these to be golden and crisp all the way through.
Leftovers Tip
Leftover croutons can be stored in an airtight container for use throughout the week. They make a fantastic topping for a pasta bake or crush them up and stir through spaghetti with lemon juice butter and the crushed croutons.
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