Bread Crust Croutons Recipe – 3 Ways

This post may contain Affiliate Links

I have a confession to make. I still don’t eat my crusts. Yes, I am an adult and I still don’t like or very often eat my crusts. However, being the frugal and thrifty person I am I don’t like letting them go to waste either. With shops selling out of bread regularly in recent weeks, it’s more important than ever to cut back on food wastage. These bread crust croutons are a really simple way to use up crusts or even whole slices of bread that might otherwise end up going in the bin.

Making Bread Crust Croutons

Whether you end up with bread crusts because your children won’t eat them or because you’ve made other dishes such as bread and butter pudding, there is absolutely no need to throw them away. Below I’ve shared my three favourite ways to make croutons – all of which give slightly different results but are just as tasty as one another.

If you’ve been baking your own bread, you may find it goes stale quicker so this is a great way to use that up too.

How To Use Croutons

Croutons can be used in a multitude of different ways – I usually use them for adding to soup or salads but they can also be eaten on their own as a tasty snack. You could also mix them through scrambled eggs instead of serving toast or add them to give some texture to a stew.

Why not try this tomato and roasted red pepper soup recipe?

Other thrifty recipes:

Healthy and cheap Potato Skins Recipe

Leftover Wrap Tortilla Chips

Spiced Potato Peels

Why Love Making Bread Crust Croutons

• Making these croutons helps to prevent food waste.
• They are very cheap to make.
• The flavours can be changed to suit your tastes.
• Extremely Versatile – can be used in lots of different dishes.
  

Bread Crust Croutons Recipe: Ingredients List

• Bread Crusts
• Vegetable oil
• Salt and Pepper
• Optional: herbs – I like to use dried rosemary

Bread Crust Croutons Method 1: How To Make Pan-Fried Croutons

This is the quickest way to make croutons, however, it can be tricky to get an even finish on them compared to the other two methods.

1. Cut the bread crusts into small squares, around 2-3cm
2. Put 1TBSP of vegetable oil into a non-stick pan on a medium heat
3. Once hot, add the squares of bread and a pinch of salt and pepper
4. Lightly fry the bread until golden, turning often either by shaking the pan or using tongs
5. If making lots, cook in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan
6. If using herbs, add them towards the end of cooking so they don’t burn
7. If not used immediately, these will be kept for around a week in a sealed Tupperware pot.

Bread Crust Croutons Method 2: Oven Baked Croutons

This method takes the longest in terms of cooking time but gives a more even finish to the croutons than pan-frying. You can also make them in bigger batches, especially if the oven is already on for something else.

1. Cut the bread crusts into small squares, around 2-3cm
2. Preheat oven to 160c
3. Toss the cubes of bread in 1TBSP of vegetable oil, salt and pepper and herbs of your choice
4. Place bread cubes in a non-stick baking tray and place them in the oven
5. Bake for 10-15 minutes, turning once during cooking
6. If not used immediately, these will keep for around a week in a sealed Tupperware pot.

Bread Crust Croutons Method 3: Deep Fried Croutons

The least healthy method but gives the crunchiest finish.

1. Cut the bread crusts into small squares, around 2-3cm
2. Heat Fryer to 180c
3. Place bread cubes in the fryer basket and slowly lower into the hot oil
4. Fry for 1-2 minutes until golden
5. Line a bowl with kitchen roll and add the croutons to absorb some of the oil
6. Add salt pepper and herbs
7. If not used immediately, these will keep for around a week in a sealed Tupperware pot.

Enter your name and email address to get all the latest news from Savvy In Somerset

Introduce yourself and your program

Your information will never be shared or sold to a third party and you can unsubscribe anytime. For more information on how data is handled see my Privacy Policy