This shall be boring to most everyone, I am sure, but it's meant as a reference for X ... lest she forget how to make croutons, which I taught her how to do the day that I took these photos.
Peel garlic, we use quite a lot, and then smash with it with the side of a knife. Preheat pan with desired amount of olive oil and then gently cook the garlic. You don't want to brown the garlic, just infuse the flavor. When done cooking, I set it aside with the garlic in it while I ... Cut up bread, your choice. I like big pieces of a soft bread, especially the crusts. In these photos, we used cracked wheat. Rye is super yummy. Put bread in bowl or, if you like, simply put it in a foil-lined or parchment-lined pan now. Drizzle the bread with the oil, tossing it gently to coat the pieces as much as possible. If you used a bowl to coat the bread, now transfer to a cookie sheet. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and thyme (or whatever spices you like, such as onion powder or rosemary). Cook in a preheated oven at about 400 degrees. I flip them around four minutes, and check them again in another four minutes. I generally cook them for ten minutes total. Try to remember to have some salad or soup with them, and not just eat the entire batch, which I am inclined to do although I don't generally eat bread otherwise. Go figure. Never purchase croutons again and realize that all others fail in comparison to these ... THAT YOU MADE YOURSELF!
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