Oil-Free Croutons
It is frustrating to go into a store and not be able to find whole grain croutons, let alone ones without oil, dairy, or eggs. That's why I cook! So, tonight we are making Caesar Salad, and so my hubby and I devised croutons to go with it. In order to make anything "stick" to the bread cubes, normally oil would be used. We decided to use a different approach, and they came out AMAZING!
Ingredients
- 1 loaf of whole grain bread cut into bite-sized cubes
- 3 T walnuts chopped very finely
- 3 T maple syrup
- 1/2 t garlic powder
- 1/4 t salt
- 1/8 t black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 (convection) or 325 regular.
- In a very small bowl, combine the chopped walnuts, maple syrup, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Place bread cubes in a large bowl with plenty of extra room in it.
- Drizzle mixture over bread cubes, tossing them as you go to coat all pieces.
- Move coated bread cubes to silpat or parchment-lined baking sheets, making sure they are in a single layer with plenty of room around them. You may need 2 baking sheets to do this.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until bread cubes are light and crispy and very lightly browned.
- Store in a gallon-sized freezer bag or sealed container.