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Nothing beats a fresh baked loaf of Italian bread with some dipping oil...until you find it 2 days later stale and beyond enjoyment. If you're lucky it's totally stale by the time you find it and can double as a weapon (or you can just grind it down to breadcrumbs...whatever you like). Those in-between days are the worst though. You either grin and bear it, slice off the too far gone end and suffer through an extra chewy slice or two at dinner, hopefully with something soupy to dunk it in, or you promise to remember it again in a day or two to make breadcrumbs but it actually falls behind the toaster oven and you find it in a month and can't even remember when the hell you had bread (not that I'm speaking from experience or anything, but does this sound familiar?). I challenge you to stop wasting your bread butts! So I give you "5 Minute Garlic Bread Croutons".

5 Minutes to Homemade

I admit that I am occasionally sucker for a store bought crouton, but stars in my eyes vanish once I make my first salad. These pellets could be deadly if shot at you with enough force and are definitely tough enough to break a tooth. Even more ridiculous is the serving size...6 croutons?! Wtf. Traditional homemade crouton recipes take nearly an hour to completely dry out the bread and create that traditional rock-like texture. Enjoy my toasty but tender croutons in only minutes. Friends and family will be super impressed by the effort of homemade (they don't have to know it took 5 minutes and used your leftovers!). I know my hubby was! I had to remind him to take more than just a plate of croutons 😄 I even impressed myself with this one, and just ask Ross, that is doesn't happen everyday.

5 Minute Garlic Bread Croutons

Takes 5 min, serves 3.

Ingredients

• 6 Slices Day Old Italian Bread
• 1/2 TBSP Butter or Olive Oil
• 1/2 TSP Garlic Salt

 Instructions

1. Set broiler of oven to high.
2. Cut 6 thick slices of day old Italian bread (about 1/2" thick). Lightly butter the top of each slice. For olive oil, spread onto slices with a pastry brush.
3. Arrange slices of buttered bread on small baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlic salt.
4. Place under broiler for about 3 minutes or until browned. Remove from broiler, let cool and slice into cubes. Serve over salad.
   Yield: ~50 croutons

Customize Your Flavor

These are a great baseline crouton for any salad! The garlic flavor tends to pair well with most salad dressings and proteins. Be adventurous and sprinkle some spices from your dressing onto the bread before broiling (ie. rosemary or parsley). For a big twist, try adding Parmesan cheese or using Cajun seasoning. Get creative! Share your twists and additions to the recipe in the comments