Monday Munchies: Italian Herb Bread and Crispy Croutons

Croutons 002

Last year for my birthday, I received a bread machine and it has been a great asset in my kitchen.  I love having fresh, homemade bread to serve with our meals and being able to control the ingredients that are used to make it.  The smell of bread baking definitely makes a house smell like a home.

Last week, I made this Italian Herb Bread to serve with Lasagna on Wednesday evening.  We ate leftovers on Thursday and on Friday morning, while the trio was eating breakfast, I turned the leftover bread into croutons.  The trio gobble up croutons and there is no waste!

Italian Herb Bread

  • 1 1/4 cups warm water
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. oil
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 4 cups bread flour
  • 2 Tbsp. dried Italian Seasoning
  • 2 1/4 tsp. yeast or 1 1/2 tsp quick rise yeast

Pour all ingredients in machine in the order listed above.  Set to the basic setting for a large loaf.  We prefer light crust.

Italian Herb Croutons

  • Leftover Italian Herb Bread, cut into chunks (I used 1/3 of the loaf)
  • 1/2 cup butter, melted
  • 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning

Preheat oven to 350.  Melt butter.  Place cubed bread into a large Ziploc bag and add butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.  Zip the bag closed and shake well to distribute.  Spread the bread chunks into an even layer on a baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Flip croutons on baking sheet and bake for an addition 10-15 minutes – until desired crispness.  Delicious plain or on salad.

Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family.  Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!

One thought on “Monday Munchies: Italian Herb Bread and Crispy Croutons

Comments are closed.