Croutons are meant to stand on their own in a salad and are therefore more heavily seasoned.

Italian Seasoned Bread Crumbs: For every 1 cup of homemade bread crumbs add: 1/2 tablespoons dried parsley, 1/4 tablespoon dried oregano, 1/8 tablespoon dried thyme, 1/8 tablespoon dried basil, 1/8 teaspoons garlic powder, 1/8 teaspoons onion powder, 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.

If you want to make breadcrumbs but your bread is too fresh, preheat the oven to 250°F and place the slices of bread directly on the oven rack. Sprinkle with Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper. One of the key and important differences, though, is the amount of oil or butter used in croutons. If you are making croutons, drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons olive oil in a non stick pan. If your bread has been sitting around for a couple of days, it will likely not be necessary to dry it in the oven.


Remove from the oven and let it cool. To make, toss torn or cubed bread pieces with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil for every 1 1/2 to 2 cups of bread. Remember, you can use dry bread, but not stale bread.

For seasoned breadcrumbs or croutons, sprinkle lightly with garlic powder … -Also delicious as croutons. To make toasted breadcrumbs, spread the fresh crumbs in an even layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the bread is dried out and toasty. Italian Breadcrumbs.

Mix to combine. Place the bread cubes in the pan and cook over medium to medium high heat, tossing as the bread cubes are cooking.
Homemade Italian Breadcrumbs. Full tasting bread, like a sourdough or herbed bread makes for delicious crumbs. Lay the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet. In many ways, seasoned bread cubes for stuffing are very similar to croutons.

Spread them out on a baking sheet and sprinkle them lightly with kosher salt. Once the bread is dry and barely starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the slices from the oven, allow to cool, and then proceed with the recipe.