Homemade sourdough croutons are so easy to make and are such an irresistible snack I can’t guarantee they’ll make it in your soup or salad.

My oven’s been working double-time trying to keep up with my recent baking mania. I’ve been working on sourdough baguettes but I am learning they are a different beast altogether, requiring more skill and technique than other types of sourdough that I’ve worked with. Not counting previous attempts I’ve made on and off over the years, I’m on my seventh round. The shaping is getting better and thankfully, the last bake produced some nicely golden batons but a few more batches are in order before I can confidently share my recipe. In the meantime, we are up to our ears in bread.

We’re not complaining, though. Homemade sourdough bread continues to be a special treat and earlier this year I found a local source for Bordier butter. I got a little carried away with my ordering so now I’ve also got a steady supply of seaweed butter, Madagascar vanilla butter, truffle butter…of course we need all the bread, right?

Still, leftovers are inevitable. When you have two or three half-loaves sitting on the counter–I’m still baking our regular loaves on top of the baguettes–it’s croutons to the rescue. Just cube stale bread, season, toss and bake and those stale hunks of sourdough turn into a fresh supply of croutons for soups and salads.

Well, the intention is to use these croutons for soups and salads but in this house they rarely ever last that long. After baking I usually leave them out on the counter but my husband and I can’t walk through the kitchen without grabbing a handful. They are delightfully crunchy and the dried oregano and onion powder make them hard to resist. My husband always gives me his croutons when we’re dining out but he loves this homemade version. Use your favorite seasonings, too. The sky’s the limit for flavor combinations but maybe you’ll give these a try. They just might become your new favorite snack.