Parmesan Garlic Croutons

I love salad, especially when I have a good crouton on top. Something about the crunch it adds, seals the deal for me.

I like to use fresh bread, it gives the best croutons. Crunchy on the outside but soft in the middle. But if you want crunchy all the way through then older bread would be fine.

Parmesan Garlic Croutons:

1 Loaf of french bread or regular loaf of bread *
1 cup butter melted
2 Tablespoons parsley (dried)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1 Tablespoon Garlic powder

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut up the french bread or regular bread* into roughly 1 inch cubes and place in the bowl. Melt the butter and add the parsley, Parmesan cheese and garlic to the butter. Stir and pour 1/3 over the bread cubes and stir. Pour another 1/3 over the top and stir. Add the remaining butter mixture and stir to coat well.

Pour onto a large cookie sheet and spread out. Put into the oven. Bake @400 for roughly 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes so they brown evenly. I like to bake them just until they are starting to get golden brown and crisp on the outside so it leaves the middle soft. If you want them crisper then bake them longer until your desired crispness.

* if you are using a regular loaf of bread, you may want to cut back on the amount of butter, especially if your loaf is smaller then a loaf of french bread.