WHAT IS A CROUTON?
Much like French toast, croutons are a great way to both recycle stale bread and add some character to your salad! The word itself comes from the French word croûte or crust (as in bread). During Medieval times soup was often served in sops or pieces of stale bread. Today stale bread is cut into bite-size cubes, painted with oil and butter and baked. Seasoning is often added as well as different shapes as it being cut into different shapes such as the thin, baguette slices. French Onion soup with their floating, Gruyere cheese covered slices is a classic example of this.
HOW IS THE BEST CROUTON MADE?
So honestly this isn’t rocket science. The only main differentiation besides the type of bread and seasoning used is the texture. Do you want your crouton to be chewy on the inside but hard on the outside? Or are you a purist and like them dry through and through? Take your pick, both are good!
WHAT KIND OF FLOUR AND STARTER SHOULD I USE?
None since the bread for this was already made.
HOW SHOULD A CROUTON BE STORED?
This is a more difficult question then it seems. Storing them with as little air as possible in a sealed ziplock bag is a must. Then do NOT refrigerate them. The low level of moisture present means that your refrigerator’s higher humidity levels could ruin your croutons. And yes, technically a refrigeration or freezer system by definition desiccates (removes water from the air) so in theory should be fine. But in reality this container is already filled with high moisture foods so an abundance of water is already present. Freezing works because it is a faster process that slows down the croutons ability to do much of anything.
WHAT MAKES CROUTONS DIFFERENT FROM MOST BREADS?