Homemade Parmesan Croutons - Simply Made Recipes (2024)

FAQs

How can you soften croutons? ›

First, they are usually commercially-prepared croutons, often stale, with a chemical aftertaste, not the wonderful, buttery kitchen-made croutons that keep their shape but still “melt in your mouth”. You can leave them on the plate or, if there is enough dressing, let them soak up and soften a bit.

Melt butter in a small-to-medium frying pan over medium heat. Add garlic and onion and brown slightly. Toss in croutons, turning them over with a spatula or wooden spoon to coat all sides. Lower the heat and allow them to sit for about 5 minutes before adding them to your salad.

To refresh stale croutons, bake for 3 to 4 minutes at 400 degrees.

Reheat croutons in the oven for 5 minutes when you're ready to use them. You can have hot, crispy croutons in minutes!

Croutons that are perfectly crisp right out of the oven will be too hard to eat when they cool. For the perfect crouton, pull them from the oven when they are still have a bit of give to them – as they cool, they will crisp up perfectly. Stale bread will crisp faster in the oven and will need less time to bake.

Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place on a baking sheet, and pop it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. In the microwave: Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place it on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 10 seconds. Check and repeat if necessary.

We recommend flash-freezing the croutons on a baking sheet until solid, then transferring the frozen croutons to an airtight freezer bag. Store them frozen for up to 1 month and thaw them in the fridge. You may wish to place your defrosted croutons into the oven for a few minutes to crisp them up again before serving.

Homemade croutons are less expensive than storebought; they're also ten times tastier. They enhance every salad on which they are sprinkled, and can also be used as a garnish for soups, or crushed with a rolling pin and sprinkled on pasta or used as a filling for an omelet.

If you're baking your croutons, make sure they are well-spaced-out on a shallow tray to ensure they crisp evenly and they don't steam, causing them to become soggy. They also need to be in a single layer and not touching. If you're frying the croutons, toss the pan regularly to make sure they crisp evenly.

Homemade croutons typically remain fresh for up to two weeks when stored at room temperature in an airtight container. Store-bought croutons, due to preservatives, often have a longer shelf life and can last several months unopened.

Why are my croutons bitter? ›

Why are my croutons bitter? If the herbs or fresh garlic burns when making croutons, they can taste bitter. Try infusing the garlic flavor into warm olive oil, then remove the pieces before coating the bread. Alternatively, use garlic powder for a roasted flavor that doesn't burn.

Soggy croutons often happen with leftover salad or prepackaged salads that have been sitting for a while. But they can also occur if you've prepped your salad too early and let it sit in the bowl for too long; the croutons take on moisture, and the crisped-up bread goes soft.

They will always be handy for game night! Grains – Rice, Oats, Homemade Breading, Homemade croutons- Seal open containers for extended freshness.

Take a towel and make it damp, wrap the bread in the damp towel, and place the bread in the microwave. Microwave on high for a minute or until the bread is soft.

If you have leftovers, you can simply re-crisp them by running them back in the oven for about 5 minutes on 350 degrees.

The key to crispy croutons is making sure that they're fully dried out in the oven and crunchy all the way through. They should not be chewy when they come out of the oven. Bake croutons in a single layer on the baking sheet to crisp up the bread, rather than steaming it.