Sourdough Garlic Croutons from an old loaf of bread

 I had a loaf of sourdough bread that needed to be used, and soon. Here's a recipe for croutons that are really tasty, easy and make that loaf taste fresh again.

I will share the recipe for the bread at some point for those of you who like to bake EVERY week. Sourdough is a lifetime commitment.

Here is the leftover bread ready to be made into something fresh again.

Here is what I did with it. It was maybe better than the bread itself!

Cut the bread into 3/4 inch cubes. I sliced it lengthwise down through the top in slices. Then I sliced horizontally in slices lengthwise and finally cut it into "slices" which made cubes.

The cubed bread.

 Then, put the cubes into a large plastic bag or bowl. Throw away the tiny crumbs (or put them in the bird feeder).

In a small bowl, combine 4 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, 1 tablespoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1 tablespoon prepared mustard. Mix well and drizzle over the bread cubes shaking to get on as many as possible. Continue to gently shake and roll the bread crumbs around for a couple of minutes until well distributed around the cubes.

Pour the cubes out onto a large cookie sheet. Put into a cold oven and then turn it on to 425 degrees. Bake until just starting to brown. Mine took about fifteen minutes. Shake the pan or stir the croutons and put them back in the oven for a few more minutes to get a golden brown on most sides. Remove from the oven and cool on the pan. Use on salad or make a stuffing to go with chicken with them.

Here are the finished croutons - about 5 cups from a smallish loaf of bread. Not bad.

DIY Sourdough Garlic Croutons

Dressing/Stuffing for Chicken 

To make dressing you need 2 1/2 cups of croutons. Slightly crush them so about half are broken up.

Bring one cup of chicken bouillon to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons butter, 1/4 cup of chopped onion, and 1/4 cup chopped celery. Then add 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning spice. When onions are translucent, remove the soup base from heat. Put the croutons in with the sauce and stir well. Then cover with a lid. Let sit 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork and serve.