The Pizza Therapy Forum and Pasta Therapy Forum

[dfandreatta]

Who doesn't like croutons? I'll tell you who doesn't like croutons: people with dentures that break trying to eat the hard-as-titanium, concrete-like chunks of petrified bread. That's who!

Well, these croutons are much better than that. They are delightful, delectable, crisp but not too much so.... and other adjectives that fail me at the moment.

Anyway, here is what you need:

2 Cups cubed bread - dried. Just about any bread - although I don't think cinnamon bread would do, but you can try and let me know how that worked out for you (and 2 cups, more or less). Let the bread sit out and dry out.
4 Tbs butter
1/2 Cup extra virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic - pressed (you can use more or less)
1/4 C fresh oregano - chopped
1 Tbs fresh basil, chopped
1/2 tsp paprika (this is purely aesthetic....)

Options:
You can use dried herbs, as follows
1 tsp garlic POWDER (not salt)
1 Tbs dried oregano
1 Tbs dried basil

You can add some garlic salt, but go easy, I put in a tsp of that and it was pretty salty, remember the butter is salted. I wouldn't go more than 1/2 tsp if that. If you're like me, it will take a couple of tries to get the chemistry to suit you.

Execution:

Put the herbs, garlic and olive oil into a blender and spin it up, then simmer it in a large skillet - you want to allow the butter/oil to absorb the herbs.

Add the bread, toss it quickly (use a couple of wooden spatulas - or is it "spatulae"?), and remove to a bowl.

There you go.
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"Papa Don"
Apollo Beach, Florida