Herbs for croutons

[Dimitri]

Good morning/afternoon/evening;

I like to use the bread machine to make bread specifically for croutons.

I use the French bread setting because of the crust.

After the loaf has cooled I simply use an electric knife to cube the bread.

Since the paddle beats everything I add to death if I add it at the
beginning I want to wait this time for the last mix/punch down before adding
the herbs/spices.

I want to make some croutons to add zest for a Caesar and other salads.

I am a little afraid of adding a very salty cheese due to the retardation of
the yeast.

I am looking for some flavor suggestions.

TIA

Dimitri

[Tracy]

Roasted garlic? I've done it. I add it at the "beep".

-Tracy

[sueb]

I'd go with dill or rosemary.

My ABM has a slot for add-ins, like raisins for the raisin bread, so
they don't get beaten to death during the kneading. I think they go
in before the 3rd knead, which is very short.

Susan B.

[merryb]

On Aug 28, 9:30 am, "Dimitri" <Dimitr...@prodigy.net> wrote:

I'd add some oregano or thyme, or both. When I make croutons, I fry a
few smashed cloves of garlic in some o.o., and remove them when brown.
I then add my bread cubes and brown slowly- when they are almost done,
I add whatever herbs, and a little grated parm when they're done.

[Nancy2]

My Caesar croutons - straight from the professional chef cookbook, so
to speak - are day-old French or Italian bread, cut by hand into
cubes, and then liberally doused with olive oil, Parmesan cheese and
garlic powder. Yum.

I put them on trays in the oven at about 250 and let them dry out,
stirring/flipping them now and then. This is the way I've always made
croutons - never flavoring the dough. My 4-year-old grandson eats
them like they're the best snack in the world! LOL.

N.

[Kathleen]

Dimitri wrote:

I use cubed sourdough bread, spread out in a roasting pan and drizzled
with 50/50 melted butter and olive oil plus crushed garlic. Bake at
300, stirring frequently until the bread cubes are crisp and brown.

If I were going to add other herbs I'd do it at the cubed and crisping
stage, rather than to the loaf itself.

[Tracy]

aem wrote:
> On Aug 28, 9:39 am, Tracy <karac...@bc.edu> wrote:

>> Dimitri wrote:
>>> I am looking for some flavor suggestions.

>> Roasted garlic? I've done it. I add it at the "beep".
>>

> I like that idea. I've used dried parsley for a similar purpose. Add
> anytime. -aem

When I am getting ready to make a loaf the the first thing I do is grab
a few cloves of garlic and place them in a small bit of aluminum foil
and drizzle just bit of olive oil. I close it up and put it in the
toaster oven. The garlic is ready by the time the machine beeps for any
add ins. I just mush up the garlic (sans skin) and toss it in. Rosemary
would be nice too. Maybe next time.

-Tracy

[Sheldon]

But then none of the internal cubes would have a crust, the crutons
would be too soft... I always make slices, butter or brush with oil,
sprinkle with herbs/seasonings/grated cheese, and bake on a sheet pan
or run through a toaster oven (like garlic bread), then stack a few
slices and slice into cubes. For crutons it's unnecessary to season
the dough... just bake whatever plain bread; white/wheat/rye... or use
any cheap sliced bread... I don't see the point in using good quality
fresh bread for croutons.

[Andy]

Dimitri said...

> I use the French bread setting because of the crust.

How about after the bread is baked and cooled, cube the bread, create an
oil a few days prior infused with fine chopped basil, chives, rosemary,
parsley and garlic (or what you like), then with a spray bottle, spray
croutons over and under, like you might lightly soak French toast pre-
arranged on a narrow-wired cooling tray, then low-temp cook in the oven,
until lightly browned on one side, cover them with another cooling tray and
flip removing the top cooling tray to let them lightly brown that side.

You might end up with a little moisture of the infused oil inside to
compliment the lightly toasted crispy herbed outside.

I've never made it but that's what I pictured. I never liked trying to
carefully stab a crouton with a fork and then have it crumble to pieces.

Ahh..I see I reinvented Nancy2's reccipe. :(

Best,

Andy

[Sqwertz]

Dimitri wrote:

> I am looking for some flavor suggestions.

I use my industrial sized jug of Herbs de Province from CostCo
with some granulated garlic and onion, salt, and EVOO.

Adding the herbs to the bread while baking doesn't really do
anything for me. All my herbs are added afterwards., when the
bread is half-dried out I start tossing with EVOO and the herbs.

-sw

[Sqwertz]

Nancy2 wrote:

> I put them on trays in the oven at about 250 and let them dry out,
> stirring/flipping them now and then. This is the way I've always made
> croutons - never flavoring the dough. My 4-year-old grandson eats
> them like they're the best snack in the world! LOL.

This is how I do it, too. Only 20% of my croûtons every make it
to an actual salad. Most are for snacking.

-sw

[Kathleen]

Sheldon wrote:

Because it tastes better. If you're going to use the croutons in a
salad where the flavor is going to be overwhelmed by the salad dressing
and/or components any old bread will do.

But if you're making something that will be munched in lieu of potato
chips or pretzels, croutons made from good, fresh bread are noticeably
better.

[hahabogus]

"Dimitri" <Dimi...@prodigy.net> wrote in
news:KoAtk.5207$zv7....@flpi143.ffdc.sbc.com:

you were interested in smoked bell peppers...I think minced they'd work ok
in your crutons. If you are doing added stuff to the bread maybe a little
crushed red pepper, rosemary and roasted garlic.

I'd also cube the bread, drizzle with oil, add some grated cheese,fresh
ground black pepper, teragon and maybe some onion powder...toss and bake
til golden and crunchy.

If you have a dehydrator you can make your own red onion powder, which IMO
is better.
--

The house of the burning beet-Alan

[Nancy2]

That's o.k., the more the better ideas the better.

IMO, though, if the bread cubes aren't totally dried all the way
through, they will get moldy/stale unless you keep them in the fridge,
and then they get moist.

I keep the finished croutons in a regular plastic canister, inside a
cupboard. I used to keep them in Ziplocs, but eventually the oil
soaks through the plastic - hard to believe, but it happens.

I don't mind if they break when I stab one with a fork - even the
crumbs taste good. ;-)

N.

[Joseph Littleshoes]

Pretty much what i do also, but i do like to sprinkle some shredded
sharp cheddar over the oregano & garlic croûtons.
--
JL

[Andy]

Nancy2 said...

Nancy2,

If restaurants only had fork sharpeners!? Nah... that would probably sound
like chalk screeching across a chalkboard!!! I'll bet I'd fare better with
the croutons though!

WAIT Nancy2... before you change your mind...

Waiter, Cobb salad for two please, and two hoagie rolls and a bottle of
Ken's creamy Caesar salad dressing and lot's o' napkins and a bottle of Dom
Perignon 1997!

:)))

<smootch>

Andy
Swaave?

[Dimitri]

"Sheldon" <PENM...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:6bdf8743-6222-474e...@e53g2000hsa.googlegroups.com...

Sorry to be incomplete, After they are cut they are then tossed in a Giant
bowl with some EVOO and some balsamic. Finally they are placed on a cookie
sheet in a preheated 400 degree oven. The oven is immediately turned off
the croutons are allowed to dry and crisp.

Dimitri

[Nancy2]

> Swaave?- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Not only swaave, but swaave and debonur. LOL. Smooches back
atya. ;-)

N.