Homemade Croutons

Yesterday I had a half of a leftover baguette from Bread and Cie which I decided to turn into croutons as to not waste the bread. The baguette was completely hard so I had to put it in a 350 degree oven in a paper bag with water sprinkled on top (for about 10 minutes). I then cut off a piece for myself to enjoy with some roasted garlic and brie and cut up the rest of the baguette into cubes.

I let the cubes dry out on a cookie sheet for a few hours while I ran errands. I then tossed them in a bowl with extra virgin olive oil, a tiny amount of homemade pesto, salt, pepper, and some Italian seasonings. The newly flavored bread cubes went into a 350 degree oven until they turned a nice golden brown.

Normally I don't eat croutons because they're not very good for you. If you make them yourself you can control all of the ingredients, though. Plus it's a great use for stale bread. So far we've used them in a homemade ceasar salad and in my gazpacho (I make gazpacho about once a week). They would be great in a hot soup too.

The best part is that I made these croutons for about a buck and they are just as good as the La Brea Bakery croutons that cost almost 7 bucks for a small bag.

PS. Nothing goes better with a ceasar salad than Stella Artois.