I can’t stand store-bought croutons. They taste too salty and they go stale too quickly. I like to make my own, and here’s how I do it. 

Hollie’s Fantabulous Easy Croutons

You’ll need: 

A baguette (white or whole grain)
Some oil of your choice (I love sesame or olive)
Some garlic salt 

That’s it. That’s all I put on mine. I figure I have enough variety with salads not to go making super fancy croutons. These taste delicious and they get the job done. And by “job”, I mean, “suitable crunch”. 

Using a sharp bread knife that won’t make your hand hurt after three slices (mental note: add “bread knife” to birthday list), slice up your baguette into chunks:

Lay the chunks out on a pan, and the spray them with oil. I use a Misto for mine, filled with either sesame or olive oil. Don’t use PAM, okay? Just don’t do it. You’re basically spraying your bread with propellents, not to mention figuring out how to dispose of your aerosol cans, which can be a real PITA. 

You can also just fling olive oil right out of the bottle all over them, or put them in a bowl first, pour over some oil, and then hand-toss them. I find this way needs a lot more oil. The Misto does a great job. 

As a final finish, add some garlic salt! I do one pass over with the shaker. Sometimes two if the chunks of bread are bigger than usual. 

Stick that pan in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes. Check to see how they’re doing. I end up going anywhere between 15-25 minutes, depending on the quality of the bread (fresh takes longer than day-old). 

I like mine lightly toasted, while others might like theirs darker. Here’s what my pan look like when done: 

YUM! 

I store my croutons in a plastic tub in the pantry. They last for at least three weeks, often longer. Throw them out when they smell stale. They won’t get moldy, but they’ll start to smell a bit old. 

Now get some romaine lettuce and some sesame-ginger dressing, and you’re in business!