This delicious homemade croutons recipe is the perfect way to use up brioche buns or leftover bread.
They are extremely quick and easy to make and will last a very long time if stored correctly.
Perfect for you to use on your favorite salads, soups or whatever needs a delicious garlicky crunch. Can't think of many things that don't.
The recipe is easily scalable, and you can easily add and remove ingredients to your liking.
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Ingredients
- Brioche bread - It's best to use brioche bread or buns for sandwiches or burgers. Brioche for French toast often has citrus peel and a lot of sugar, which makes them undesirable for savory croutons. You can also use other bread, like sourdough bread, baguettes or milk buns.
- Garlic - Garlic powder works best because it can evenly be distributed into the croutons. Fresh garlic is not suitable because it won't mix evenly and adds unwanted moisture.
- Herbs - Dried herbs like parsley, oregano and thyme will deliver the best results. I also like using fresh, very finely chopped rosemary. Dried rosemary does not work as well.
- Smoked paprika - I love the smokiness of smoked paprika, but you can easily leave it out or use sweet paprika or even add some heat by using chili powder.
- Salt - If you have finely ground natural sea salt or rock salt, then use that. Iodized salt has a slightly unpleasant bitterness, which I try to avoid.
- Oil - Extra virgin olive oil is the most delicious and healthiest option, but feel free to substitute it for your favorite oil.
Instructions
Step 1. Turn the oven to 320 °F (160 °C) fan or regular setting but NO GRILL. Optionally, remove the crust and break or cut the bread into bite-size, roughly ½ inch or 1.3 centimeter pieces.
Step 2. Season the brioche in a bowl with the garlic powder, dried herbs, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and olive oil. If you want to add anything else like Parmesan or other cheese, you add that too.
Step 3. Line a baking tray or sheet pan with parchment paper and evenly spread the brioche out on it. You can also use a stainless steel baking tray without parchment or a silicone baking mat. This is purely to make cleaning up easier. Aluminum pans/trays tend to stick.
Step 4. Bake the croutons in the oven and make sure to give it a mix halfway through baking, to make sure it bakes evenly. Depending on your oven, it will take 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on your croutons, as brioche browns quicker than other types of bread. Once baked, let it cool down completely before using it in salads or storing it for later use.
Pro tips
- Make the effort to mix your croutons in a mixing bowl with the seasoning and oil. Doing it simply on a baking sheet will result in unevenly seasoned croutons.
- Croutons should be slightly browned for the best flavor and texture. Make sure your oven is not below 320 °F (160 °C). Otherwise, you won't have real croutons.
- Make deliciously cheesy croutons by adding finely grated Parmesan or other hard cheese.
Storing croutons
The number 1 rule for long-lasting croutons is a low humidity room temperature environment.
Make sure that your croutons are completely cooled down before storing as any residual heat will cause condensation which will result in stale soft croutons.
It's best to use a sealable container or something like a ziplock bag. For best results, it also helps to place a small food-safe silica crystal packet with the croutons. You'll find these in many other shelf-stable foods like jerky, chips, and crackers.
This will remove any moisture from the air and your croutons will last for many weeks.
What to serve with homemade croutons
- Soup – Sprinkle onto Ukrainian Borsht, this beautiful summer chanterelle mushroom soup or a creamy potato and leek soup.
- Salad - Add onto a classic Caesar salad, Greek salad or cured salmon salad for a beautiful crunch.
- Topping - Sprinkle onto baked eggs, tomato casserole or hearty stew to soak up those delicious juices.
- Stuffing – Perfect for any type of stuffing to add a touch more flavor than regular bread.
- Breadcrumbs – Blitz into breadcrumbs and use them to bread Chicken Kiev.
FAQ
Yes. Croutons can be frozen for up to 3 months, sealed airtight. When defrosted, you will have to crisp them up again in a low oven, dehydrator or on very short bursts in a microwave.
Your croutons picked up moisture. Most likely from high air humidity or condensation caused by not letting them cool down completely. Store them in a dry airtight environment, preferably in the presence of food-safe silica packets.
If you store croutons in an airtight low-humidity container, it will last for up to 6 weeks. Sealed in a vacuum container, it will last for up to 12 months. Simply left uncovered, it will go stale within a week.
Related recipes
Useful equipment
Countertop Oven
Baking Sheets
Salt & Pepper Grinders
Storage Containers
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Recipe
Garlic And Herb Seasoned Brioche Croutons
Ingredients
- 200 grams (6/7 cups) brioche - note 1
- 2 grams (⅔ teaspoon) garlic powder - note 2
- 2 grams (2 teaspoon) dried herbs - note 3
- 2 grams (1 teaspoon) smoked paprika - note 4
- 3 grams (½ teaspoon) salt - note 5
- 1 grams (½ teaspoon) black pepper - freshly ground
- 30 grams (2 tablespoon) olive oil - extra virgin - note 6
Instructions
- Turn the oven to 320 °F (160 °C) fan or regular setting but NO GRILL. Optionally, remove the crust and break or cut the bread into bite-size, roughly ½ inch or 1.3 centimeter pieces.200 grams brioche
- Season the brioche in a bowl with the garlic powder, dried herbs, salt, pepper, smoked paprika and olive oil. If you want to add anything else like Parmesan or other cheese, you add that too.2 grams garlic powder, 2 grams dried herbs, 2 grams smoked paprika, 3 grams salt, 1 grams black pepper, 30 grams olive oil
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and evenly spread the brioche out on it. You can also use a stainless steel baking tray without parchment or a silicone baking mat. This is purely to make cleaning up easier. Aluminum pans/trays tend to stick.
- Bake the croutons in the oven and make sure to give it a mix halfway through baking, to make sure it bakes evenly. Depending on your oven, it will take 15 to 20 minutes. Keep an eye on your croutons, as brioche browns quicker than other types of bread. Once baked, let it cool down completely before using in salads or storing for later use.
Notes
- Use any type of brioche you have. Burger or hot dog buns are the ones always left over and go stale first. You can also substitute the brioche for sourdough or any other type of bread that needs to be used up.
- Stick to using garlic powder, as fresh garlic is not suitable.
- My favorites are dried parsley and oregano. If you have fresh rosemary, then chop it up extremely finely and use that for mind-bending delicious croutons.
- I love adding a smokey flavor, but you can use regular sweet paprika or simply leave it out. For spicy croutons, use chili powder.
- Finely ground natural sea salt or rock salt works best. I don't recommend you use iodized salt as it has a slightly soupy, bitter aftertaste.
- Extra virgin olive oil is my favorite oil to use in most cases. It's safe and healthy to use at the temperature we bake these croutons at. If you prefer another oil like canola, avocado, or sunflower oil then use that.
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