Last year for my birthday, I received a bread machine and it has been a great asset in my kitchen. I love having fresh, homemade bread to serve with our meals and being able to control the ingredients that are used to make it. The smell of bread baking definitely makes a house smell like a home.
Last week, I made this Italian Herb Bread to serve with Lasagna on Wednesday evening. We ate leftovers on Thursday and on Friday morning, while the trio was eating breakfast, I turned the leftover bread into croutons. The trio gobble up croutons and there is no waste!
Italian Herb Bread
- 1 1/4 cups warm water
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. oil
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp. salt
- 4 cups bread flour
- 2 Tbsp. dried Italian Seasoning
- 2 1/4 tsp. yeast or 1 1/2 tsp quick rise yeast
Pour all ingredients in machine in the order listed above. Set to the basic setting for a large loaf. We prefer light crust.
Italian Herb Croutons
- Leftover Italian Herb Bread, cut into chunks (I used 1/3 of the loaf)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter. Place cubed bread into a large Ziploc bag and add butter, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. Zip the bag closed and shake well to distribute. Spread the bread chunks into an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes. Flip croutons on baking sheet and bake for an addition 10-15 minutes – until desired crispness. Delicious plain or on salad.
Each Monday, I’ll showcase a family and kid-friendly recipe to share with your family. Please let me know if you try one of my recipes! Enjoy!
I love fresh Cookies