How to Make Croutons

We had so much bread when the family was up here that even 18 people couldn't even eat it all in four days.

Yesterday I thought about using up one of the last loaves, but it was as hard as a rock.  And then I thought, "croutons!"  I had never made croutons before.  So I googled it!  'How to make croutons from stale bread'.  I got a million recipes.  Here's what I ended up doing.  First you just cube the bread.  I mentioned that my loaf was rock hard, so first I put a wet paper towel around it and microwaved for a minute and that softened it right up.  Then I sliced and sliced and sliced.  *(By the way I made the cutting board in woodshop in tenth grade.  And my mom still uses it.  Awwwwww...) 

Here's what I look like when I'm slicing rock hard bread.  I call it the 'Grandma Trudy' face.  Also known as the 'Kelly concentrates' face.

You want 1 inch cubes.

Then I mixed a small bowl of olive oil and my seasonings.  I used salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and garlic salt.  Tons of all of it.  You can use whatever you want.  And about 2/3 cup of olive oil per 4 cups of cubed bread.

Toss with the bread cubes and get it all smooshed around.  I sprinkled with parmesan too, and then baked at 300 degrees for about a half hour.  I read anything from 225 degrees for 10 minutes to 375 degrees for 20 minutes...the point is you are slowly toasting this bread until it's nice and crusty brown.  Like a crouton, DUH!  Spread it all out in a single layer, by the way.  You wanna flip 'em over a couple times so they get brown on all sides.

Here's what they look like when they're done.

Super delicious.  For reals.

The End.