DIY Crutons

Don't know why I never tried this before. Delicious results and much cheaper than buying them! Easy to pop in the oven when working on something else in the kitchen to save for later. Good way to use up stale bread. But I warn you they are as snackable as chex mix!

Chop up bread (fresh, stale, brown, white whatever) into squares.

Combine olive oil (or butter), crushed/minced garlic, salt, pepper, herbs (thyme, oregano, onion powder worked well for me) in a bowl.

Or use a blender to make a more uniform oil/sauce.

Stir in the bread, mix to combine. Spread on baking sheet. Bake at 300 or 350 for 15-20 min or until crunchy/golden. Easy to toast while you have something else baking- they don't mind changes in temperature-- just be sure that whatever else you're cooking won't mind taking in a garlic scent (i.e. don't cook cookies and crutons at the same time!)

A Note about Cruton Storage
Don't keep these in a sealed plastic/glass container as they will get soggy. Either keep in the pan in the turned off oven (assuming you don't use your oven often) or transfer to a PAPER BAG. The paper bag will soak up the oil which doesn't look pretty but will keep the crutons crunchy.