Homemade Bread Crumbs and Croutons

Homemade bread crumbs and croutons are a great way to us the unwanted heels of your bread and they are much more nutritious and have less additives than store bought varieties.  I always save up my bread heels and then, once I've got a full gallon size bag of heels, I bake all my croutons in one sitting, which saves time and money.

Cut bread into cubes and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 190 degrees** for 2-3 hours.  Making sure to check them at least every half hour or so.  Then turn off the oven and let the bread cubes remain in the oven until cooled or overnight.

Once the bread cubes are completely cooled and dried out, place them in batches into your food processor or Vitamin and process into bread crumbs. Or place dried cubes in heavy gallon-size ziplock baggie and use a heavy wood rolling pin to crush into bread crumbs. (Four bread heels make approximately 1-1/2 cups of bread crumbs.)


For seasoned bread crumbs you can simply add some Italian Herb Seasoning and a bit of sea salt to the breadcrumbs. Mix well to combine. I generally leave my bread crumbs plain, as I can easily season them if needed for a recipe.

Place bread crumbs in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer.  Due to their very low moisture content, they will not "freeze" so there's no need to thaw, just use them straight out of the freezer in your favorite recipes.

Use Plain Croutons for Stuffing
If you are going to make stuffing, just save the plain dried croutons in a freezer-safe container in the freezer until ready to use.

Making Seasoned Croutons for Soups & Salads
If you want to make seasoned croutons for salads or soups, simply season the bread cubes prior to drying them out in the oven.  Add some olive oil and melted butter (or coconut oil) and your favorite seasonings, like dried Italian herbs, parsley, garlic powder and salt. Mix well to combine.  Then add your bread cubes and toss until well coated with the olive oil mixture.  Place seasoned bread cubes onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and dry out in oven as outlined above.  Once cool, transfer to a freezer safe container and store in freezer.

**If your oven doesn't go as low as 190 degrees, simply raise your rack to highest level (away from bottom heat source) and place your oven on its lowest setting (this would be for an electric stove).  Make sure to check the croutons at least every half-hour to ensure you do not over cook.  You don't want them to browned, just dried out.