Homemade Croutons

I love croutons. They are not old, dried-out bread. They are the treasures hidden in a salad. They're the thought that gets me through 4 cups of romaine, hunting for a crunchy bite. They're absolutely worth it, and ridiculously simple to make at home. I've finished my Crossfit Challenge and am now starting to dream about bread so there might be a few bread related posts coming up. I refuse to apologize. :)

Homemade Croutons

• 4 slices stale Bread (whatever you've got but this recipe is scaled for 8 servings)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup, extra virgin olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Take your stale bread* and cube it. In a skillet on medium heat, heat up your olive oil. When the olive oil is warm, add in the garlic and stir for one minute. Add in bread cubes and stir until coated in olive oil and garlic. Sprinkle on salt and pepper to taste (never as much pepper as salt!) and stir. Spread the cubes out on a baking sheet in one layer and bake for 13-17 minutes - or until dry and crispy. I recommend checking them every 5 minutes or so, so you don't end up with burned croutons! Let them cool and add them to your salad or just eat them plain. I won't tell.

*When I say stale bread, it must be STALE. Leave it out on the counter overnight, it should be nearly crunchy - not just day old!