Do you ever struggle to finish your homemade sourdough bread before it goes bad? I'm going to teach you how to make homemade sourdough croutons! These easy croutons will leave you never wanting to eat store-bought croutons again.
Flavored with olive oil and garlic, this is my favorite way to use up all my leftover bread that is starting to become stale sourdough bread.
We love to top our creamy soups with these croutons, one of which is my signature Homemade Creamy Tomato Soup. Using the croutons and a little parmesan cheese as finishing touches on our summer and fall Seasonal Garden Salads is also one of our favorite ways to enjoy these flavorful croutons.
Jump to:
Ingredients
Before you read the ingredients, please know that this is a very loose recipe, meaning if you don't have the exact quantities, don't sweat it! You can definitely use your intuition when making homemade croutons.
- Bread - Any type of old bread made with sourdough will work for this recipe, but some types work better than others. I recommend checking out this Sourdough Batard recipe and this Sourdough Sandwich Bread recipe.
- Butter - You can use both store-bought salted or unsalted butter for this recipes. Or you can use some homemade raw milk butter.
- Olive Oil - Olive Oil has a distinct taste that make the croutons taste like Italy.
- Garlic powder - Garlic is our go to spice for croutons, but you can make them with Italian Seasoning, onion powder, red pepper flakes, or any spice that you wish. Croutons are also made to taste, so why not make them to suit your tastebuds.
- Salt and Pepper - You can used kosher salt or sea salt for this recipe. You can also use freshly ground black pepper or store-bought ground pepper.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
2. Cut the bread into one inch pieces. Toss bread cubes with melted butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
3. Place the bread cubes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and toss with hands a few times to make sure the bread is well coated.
4. Place the pan on the middle oven rack and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes, checking at the 15 minute and tossing/stirring the croutons.
5. Remove from oven and let cool. I recommend hiding them until the soup or salad is ready, because these will sneak away fast!
Hint: When my sourdough begins to go stale, I slice it into cubes and toss it in a freezer bag. Once I have enough to make a batch of croutons, I pull the frozen bread out and bake it!
If you make this recipe, please leave a comment below! This provides helpful feedback to both me and other readers. For more delicious recipes from scratch and homesteading tips, follow me on instagram @NinnescahHomestead
Recipe
Homemade Sourdough Croutons
Equipment
- baking sheet
- bread knife
Ingredients
- 6 slices sourdough bread
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- black pepper optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉ and line a sheet pan with parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.
- Cut the bread into one inch pieces. Toss bread cubes with melted butter, olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic.
- Place the bread cubes in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet and toss with hands a few times to make sure the bread is well coated.
- Place the pan on the middle oven rack and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes, checking at the 15 minute and tossing/stirring the croutons.
- Remove from oven and let cool. I recommend hiding them until the soup or salad is ready, because these will sneak away fast!
Notes
TIPS AND TROUBLESHOOTING
To avoid getting very hard croutons, be sure not to over bake them. Croutons are done baking as soon as they begin to brown. I would recommend checking them every couples minutes after they have been in the oven 15-20 minutes. All ovens are different and you will want them baked just right so they are the best croutons. It may seem easier to place bread cubes on the same baking tray, but it is very important to only have a single even layer of bread cubes on each rimmed baking sheet. Overcrowding them will result in uneven browning, over done croutons, and soggy croutons. Two tips to help you achieve perfectly crunchy croutons are to make sure the slices of sourdough bread are the same thickness and that your homemade bread is day old sourdough bread and starting to go stale.SERVING SUGGESTIONS
One of our favorite ways to use this sourdough crouton recipe is to bake them while making Homemade Tomato Soup. Our second favorite way to use these fresh croutons in on top of salad, such as on our favorite salad recipe from the garden. Lastly, enjoying them as if they were a bag of chips and eating them plain is amazing itself!STORAGE
Once the croutons have completely cooled, they can be stored in an air-tight container on the counter for 4-5 days and in the fridge for up to a week. If you are looking to save them for later use, you can freeze them, but remember when they thaw, you will need to thaw them in the fridge or they will become soggy.Nutrition
As an amazon associate, this post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Equipment
There is not much required to make these easy homemade croutons. You will need a serrated knife to slice the bread without smushing it, large sheet pan for baking them and your own two hands for tossing them. My favorite sourdough knife is a serrated wooden bow style like this one.
Tips and Troubleshooting
To avoid getting very hard croutons, be sure not to over bake them. Croutons are done baking as soon as they begin to brown. I would recommend checking them every couples minutes after they have been in the oven 15-20 minutes. All ovens are different and you will want them baked just right so they are the best croutons.
It may seem easier to place bread cubes on the same baking tray, but it is very important to only have a single even layer of bread cubes on each rimmed baking sheet. Overcrowding them will result in uneven browning, over done croutons, and soggy croutons.
Two tips to help you achieve perfectly crunchy croutons are to make sure the slices of sourdough bread are the same thickness and that your homemade bread is day old sourdough bread and starting to go stale.
Serving Suggestions
One of our favorite ways to use this sourdough crouton recipe is to bake them while making Homemade Tomato Soup. Our second favorite way to use these fresh croutons in on top of salad, such as on our favorite salad recipe from the garden. Lastly, enjoying them as if they were a bag of chips and eating them plain is amazing itself!
Storage
Once the croutons have completely cooled, they can be stored in an air-tight container on the counter for 4-5 days and in the fridge for up to a week. If you are looking to save them for later use, you can freeze them, but remember when they thaw, you will need to thaw them in the fridge or they will become soggy.
Frequently Asked Questions about this Sourdough Croutons Recipe
The answer is yes, you can use fresh sourdough bread, but you need to make sure the bread cubes are completely dried out. I recommend using bread that is at least a day old, if not starting to stale. When the bread starts to stale, it will more readily absorb the flavor of the oil and spices during the baking process.
Sourdough croutons do not have enough moisture in them to feed the bacteria that can spoil them and result in mold growth. Therefore, croutons do not necessarily spoil, they simply just become stale over time and begin to taste differently than the fresh ones.
You can use any seasoning that you like. We personally love garlic croutons, but you can used any spice or cheese powder you need to get your favorite flavor crouton.
Related
Looking for other recipes like these sourdough croutons? They go really good on a bowl of soup! Try these:
Ben
This recipe was so easy and you have the perfect timing for the croutons to not be undercooked! We eat these like they are a snack!
Meg
Ben,
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment and review! I'm so glad you liked these sourdough croutons!
- Meg