Croutons Are Delicious

Am I right? I could eat those boxed croutons alone as a snack. But you know what's even better? Homemade croutons.

This week we accidentally let the better part of a delicious loaf of sourdough bread get stale. I can only attribute this to the crazy storm and the chaos that followed because Karl and I usually eat nearly the whole loaf the first night I bring this bread home from Whole Foods (with plenty of olive oil, of course).

I almost threw the poor bread away and then I thought - CROUTONS!

What you'll need:
Some good bread that you foolishly let get stale (I used 2/3 of a round sourdough boule. It ended up being about 3 cups cubed)
1/2 cup olive oil (extra virgin - don't mess around)
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt
Pepper (freshly ground)
Red pepper flakes
Rosemary (dried)
Fresh parsley (about a handful)
Pecorino Romano OR Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (2-3 Tbs, freshly grated)

How to do it:

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees and cut the bread into cubes.

Then, add the olive oil and butter to a sautee pan over low heat. Add the garlic powder, a generous pinch of salt, several turns of the pepper grinder and two or so shakes each of the red pepper and rosemary. Once the butter has melted fully and the mixture is bubbling lightly (don't let it burn!) add a handful of chopped fresh parsley and then remove the pan from the heat. Carefully, taste your mixture. Does it need more salt? A dash more red pepper? If so, add it now.

Please disregard the fact that I'm using a cutting board intended for meat. It was clean :)

Add the bread to a mixing bowl and pour the delicious oil/herb/butter mixture over it. Gently mix so that all of the bread gets covered. Once the oil has been distributed fold in the freshly grated cheese.

This next step is crucial. Avoid the urge to eat this bread right now. It will be even better after you toast it! Spread the bread onto a sheet pan. Be sure to use a large enough pan (or 2 if necessary) so that each piece will have a chance to get golden and delicious. Pop it in the oven for about 20 minutes. You will need to keep a fairly close eye on this, as bread goes from perfectly toasted to absolutely ruined in a matter of seconds. Make sure you use a spatula to turn the bread a few times while it's cooking. Again, make sure all pieces and sides have a chance to toast up.

Once everything is toasty and delicious remove it from the oven and lightly sprinkle with a bit more salt. The croutons are now ready to be thrown into a salad or on top of a bowl of soup. They should also keep in the cabinet for a week or longer if you put them into an airtight container. However, I doubt they'll last that long. Mine may not even last long enough for me to make soup to pair with them!