Prime Cuts

Today Joe explains why he will never buy pre-packaged croutons ever again…

So Justin and I have been doing a lot of brain storming lately about good recipe posts we can share that aren’t overly difficult but make a large impact on food when done properly.  One Prime Cuts reader mentioned to Justin that they were interested in making their own breadcrumbs, and while this is doable in the home kitchen, it isn’t really the most effective use of time or resources.  But this lead us to think croutons…the perfect simple food that is infinitely better when made fresh at home.

But just to touch on breadcrumbs for a moment… I used to prepare fresh breadcrumbs at Roberto’s, a pizza kitchen I worked in for many years.  The method is simple: save all end cuts and stale pieces of soft white bread grinder rolls in a dry warm place (on top of the pizza oven) until you have accumulated enough to fill a large hotel pan.  You then run stale rolls through a food grinder until processed to the desired consistency.  You will get a few cups of crumbs for every large pan of bread scrapes saved.  As far as I’m concerned this is worth it to do, if you are a restaurant, but too much work and too many days of eating sandwiches on the same type of bread to do at home.  But, it can be done at home using this method in small batches.  A grinder works much better in this case than the food processor.

…and now on to croutons,  home made croutons are sooooooo much better than the bagged or boxed store bought type.  Even if you were to barely season them, your croutons will still be great because they are fresh.  And it is on that note that you should think when learning to prepare croutons at home,  season lightly when experimenting as a little flavor will go a long way.  Also, croutons typically play a secondary part to the overall flavor of a salad.

The overall method is simple:  start with any type of bread that does not contain chunks or pieces of non- bread material in it  (raisins, garlic, olives, cheese, herbs, stuff like that is a big no no, when in or on the bread prior to making croutons).  I like to use baguette, or ciabatta, or any kind of rustic, crusty white type bread. The basic procedure to making croutons begins with the bread.  It is best if you do this with bread that is a bit stale, you will be drying out the bread in the oven anyhow, so it is going to be dry and crunchy and it it much easier to cut even pieces of bread when it has some rigidity to it.

Begin by cubing the bread into pieces approx. 1/2″- 1″ square, if not quite stale at this point, place in a container loosely covered with aluminum foil punched with many air holes.  Leave for a day or two in a warm dry place until the bread is crusty all around.  If bread is not getting dry, make more holes or just leave uncovered.  Next the bread is hydrated with oil, most often olive, and seasoned with herbs, spices, and flavorings, then baked in an even spread out layer in the oven till crisp… then eaten.

Joe’s Simple Garlic Croutons

Ingredients

1 loaf plain ciabatta bread, cubed into 3/4″ pieces, slightly stale
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp plain vegetable oil
1 1/2  tsp garlic powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
few shakes or grinds black pepper

Preparation

1. Place bread in a large bowl or container that is double the volume of what the bread will fill.
2. Drizzle evenly with the oils, sprinkle on all the rest of the ingredients as evenly as possible.
3. Cover the container tightly with plastic wrap, and shake vigorously to thoroughly distribute all the ingredients.
4. Place the seasoned croutons to-be on a large sheet pan or two, so they are in an even layer and not piled more than one high.
5. Bake at 350 degrees, positioned centrally in the oven.  Generally these croutons take 15 minutes, but I always check after 10 minutes, and then every 2 minutes until done, they can go from uncooked to over very quickly, especially when making smaller croutons.  You are looking, for a light golden brown color and a crispness throughout or just about throughout, as the croutons will continue to cook while they rest on the hot pan next to the other hot croutons.
6. Let then cool thoroughly, or eat warm for a different taste, they are great in tomato soup when warmed.
7. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a month.

With these basic procedures you can make croutons easily at home, and it is easy to vary the recipe.  Use plain bread that does not have any chunks of stuff in or on it. Work in small batches and season lightly, adding more and perfecting the recipe each time you make it.  Remember small croutons cook quickly!  When adding fresh herbs or cheese, cut these flavorings to a size that will be thoroughly dried by the time the croutons are done cooking.  Experiment with different types, and differently flavored oils.

Repeat after me: I vow to never buy pre-made croutons again!!!

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Photo by: jspatchwork