Amy shows you how to turn stale bread into homemade croutons. I’ve been making homemade croutons for years and we love them.
I usually brush the bread with oil and sprinkle with seasonings before cutting into cubes, but, after reading Amy’s recipe, I wonder if I’ve been making it harder than it has to be all these years!
Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.
Subscribe for free email updates and be entered to win $100!
{ 15 comments }
Yummy idea!
This is one of my favorite money savers, and it’s so easy! I do it pretty much the same as she does. I save stale bread in the freezer until I have enough to make a big batch of croutons & seasoned bread crumbs. All the little crumbs get put into an airtight container for breading chicken or pork chops, as do the crumbs when my re-purposed mayo jar of croutons is emptied =)
Oh I like these ideas!
In my area I routinely get croutons for free-15 cents. In the comments in the crouton post is a great way to make your own buttermilk that I will definately try though.
Love this idea — I make my own bread when there’s none on sale and this is a great way to use up the stale leftovers.
Instead of brushing w/ olive oil, I spray mine w/ olive oil Pam spray. It is so much easier and quicker and I like that it coats more evenly.
I get reduced baggets all the time at my local Walmart. I cut them up put on some butter, parsley, and garlic powder. Put in the oven for a few minutes and they are much better than store bought and cheaper, in my area.
Ive been doing this for years as well. If im low on money i will buy bread and make croutons for the salads.
What i’ve also been doing lately is buyng Corn toritillas and making tortilla chips out of them as well to save money. I actually like mine better than store brand!
Anyone know how long they last – and what do you store them in?
We usually store ours in a freezer bag and I freeze them if we’re not going to use them within a few days.
As long as you get them VERY dried out, they will store for a long time. Just remember, moisture is where you would get mold from. To dry my bread out well, I actually would let the bread cubes sit out overnight or for at least a few hours before baking.
If you’re keeping them more than a week, they have to be very dry. I’ve found that storing them in mayo jars with the plastic, screw-on lids work better than glass jars with metal lids. If I make a BUNCH for some odd reason, I’ll put them in a dated freezer bag & save for later. They’re also great for making your own stuffing for chicken, turkey, or stuffed chops!
I watch for reduced bags of bread cubes (for stuffing) on grocery store “stale” racks after holidays, especially Thanksgiving and Christmas. I picked up 12 oz bags of bread cubes for 45cents after Christmas. They’re great for croutons, since the bread is already cubed, just add oil and seasonings and bake, so easy!
I make these, but I cook them at 300 degrees instead of 400.. takes longer (about 15 minutes), but I am less likely to burn them!
Thank you for this!! I was going to throw out my leftover Italian bread today but then saw this recipe. They came out great and my daughter loved them. No more expensive croutons!!