Turn yesterday's bread into today's tasty croutons

How to make, use, and freeze croutons to reduce bread waste

Don’t toss that day-old bread!

Tell me true: do you have a bag of day-old bread in the pantry (or even the freezer) that is right on the cusp of growing moldy science experiments?

If so, I have the perfect zero waste cooking tip for you…

Make it into croutons!

One of my favorite ways to use up stale bread is to cut into into bite-size pieces, drizzle it with olive oil, sprinkle it with salt and dried herbs, and bake until golden brown and crispy.

Then I add the crunchy, flavorful croutons to my favorite salads and soups all week long. And if there’s a big enough batch, I even freeze them to take out for later (and I have a simple trick to keep them crunchy below).

Below I’ve rounded up a few crouton tutorials for you – as well as some of my favorite recipes using these crunchy bread bites – so you too can stop buying bagged and overly processed croutons. 👇

How to Make Homemade Croutons

👉 The recipe for the sourdough croutons above can be used with any type of bread, so use it as a base recipe and get creative with your favorites.

How to Freeze Croutons for Later Use

Recipes for Using Your Croutons

DID YOU KNOW? 🧐

The word crouton is derived from the French word 'croûte' which means 'crust' — crouton is actually the diminutive form of the word, so it translates to 'little crust' in French.

LOVELY LINKS 🔗

  • SHOP IT: EarthHero, my favorite eco alternative to Amazon, has 15% all zero waste back to school items like lunch boxes, refillable inks pens, and water bottles. (Shop EarthHero here!)

  • LEARN IT: After seeing it growing all over Iceland when I visited in June, I’ve been deep diving into the herb Angelica and learning about its medicinal uses. (NC State Extension)

  • KNOW IT: Adopting a Mediterranean lifestyle – which includes a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains; healthy eating habits like limiting added salts and sugars; and habits promoting adequate rest, physical activity, and socialization – lowers risk of all cause and cancer-related death. (ScienceDirect)

If thou tastest a crust of bread, thou tastest all the stars and all the heavens.

Robert Browning, poet

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