Apollonia Poilâne’s Oven-Baked Brioche Croutons Recipe

Croutons are small, crisp, rebaked pieces of leftover bread that garnish various dishes. The word “crouton” comes from “croûte,” the French word for “crust,” which historically referenced a slice of baguette brushed with oil or butter and then baked. You can use croutons to add texture and flavor to soups, stews, and salads like Panzanella or potato salad.

You can make your own croutons using artisanal French bread or challah or put a flavorful spin on the garnish by using leftover garlic bread to make garlic croutons.

Apollonia Poilâne’s homemade crouton recipe calls for a few ingredients, including stale brioche bread, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper.

Here are some different ways to use croutons in your cooking:

1. 1. Add to salads: Use croutons to garnish a Caesar salad topped with shaved Parmesan cheese. Croutons can also serve as the bread component in a BLT salad that features crispy bacon pieces, halved grape tomatoes, kale, and blue cheese or vinaigrette dressing.
2. 2. Make bread crumbs: Anytime a recipe calls for bread crumbs, use a rolling pin or food processor to pulverize some croutons into your preferred size of bread crumbs.
3. 3. Make a flavorful stuffing: Skip the box mix and make your own holiday stuffing. Make croutons with fresh herbs, such as thyme, sage, and rosemary, and toss them with a mixture of sautéed onion, celery, garlic, eggs, and broth. Place the stuffing in a baking dish and bake until golden brown. You can also use leftover cornbread to make croutons for standard stuffing. Add the croutons to a mix of onion, stock, and eggs and bake it off for a tasty side dish.
4. 4. Use it to garnish soup: Croutons offer a pleasing textural component to soups. Add croutons to creamy, dairy-free butternut squash soup, traditional French onion soup with caramelized onions and melted Gruyère, or classic tomato soup.