Homemade Croutons - 4 ingredients! Recipe - Rachel Cooks® (2024)

FAQs

Homemade Croutons - 4 ingredients! Recipe - Rachel Cooks®? ›

How to Make Croutons. All you need to do is cut the bread into cubes, toss it with olive oil, garlic powder, and salt, spread them on a baking sheet and bake. They only take 10 minutes to bake (but if you have really fresh bread, they'll take longer to get golden brown).

Crowding the pan.

Pile the bread cubes on top of each other and they won't have enough space to crisp up and brown. Instead, make sure they're in a even layer.

Why are my homemade croutons soggy? It could be that you stored your croutons before they were fully cooled. Warm croutons trap moisture, and the croutons can become soggy if they're stored airtight too soon. This can also cause them to go stale too quickly.

You don't want any added moisture in the storage container. Once cooled, store the croutons in an airtight container or jar in a cool, dry place. To soak up any excess moisture, you can add a paper towel to the bottom of the container. Stored at room temperature, the homemade croutons will last up to 3 days.

The expected shelf-life for homemade croutons is about two weeks. Moisture encourages mold, so make sure your croutons are completely dehydrated during the bake and let cool completely at room temperature before storing them away in an airtight container.

The best is to store them air tight and prevent any moisture from coming in. Moisture is the main enemy of croutons, making them lose their sogginess. If they do become a little soft, heat them again in a pan to crucnh them back up.

Let croutons cool in a single layer on the baking sheet. Use immediately or keep in an airtight container for up to 2 days. To refresh stale croutons, bake for 3 to 4 minutes at 400 degrees.

Croutons don't expire in the sense that they become dangerous to eat. There simply isn't enough moisture in them to feed an spoilage bacteria and other such organisms.

How do you know if croutons are stale? ›

The most common way to tell if croutons have gone bad is by smell and taste. If they have an off smell, it's best to throw them out. Similarly, if they taste stale or have lost their crunch, it's time to discard them.

It's easy to make croutons crunchy: Just dry the bread pieces in a dehydrator or low-temperature oven (around 125°C) for a couple of hours. This should be done before adding oil or seasonings, since the process would cook off a lot of their flavor.

Put the croutons into an airtight container or storage bag.

Scoop the cooled croutons into an airtight container or storage bag that's large enough to hold all of them. The croutons don't have to be in a single layer when you store them, so use whatever container you like.

There are a few methods you can use to re-crisp croutons: Oven method: Preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread your croutons out in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 5-10 minutes, or until they are crisp and lightly browned.

Typically, homemade croutons remain fresh for up to two weeks if kept in an airtight container at room temperature. Their longevity hinges on how dry and crispy they are initially; the drier the croutons, the longer they can be preserved without losing their quality.

If they do get wet, something may start growing: in that case, toss them. In case croutons do not have expiry dates, it does not. It is, after all, more dried bread; due to low moisture (water content ), it is low microbial spoilage.

Let me explain: Most croutons are crunchy through and through, but these are designed to be crispy on the outside and chewy in the middle–far better for munching out of hand (or as a complement to tender salad leaves) than the hard, desiccated store-bought kind.

Keep crispy stuff and cheesy stuff off

Since a salad is typically a high-moisture dish, it's best to keep anything crispy or cheesy off until serving. Crispy items such as croutons or fried wontons will become soggy and cheese will become soft.