Homemade gluten free croutons

This recipe is a function of my children wanting the crusts cut off their bread for sandwiches and toast. What to do with all those crusts? While they sometimes end up in the compost, most of the time I cut them up into cubes and store them in my refrigerator until I am ready to make a batch of croutons!

It just so happens that the bread my children prefer is Trader Joe's whole grain gluten free bread, so I make gluten free croutons, but this would work with any bread. And my husband, who is not fond of gluten free options in general, actually cannot stop eating these and I have to hide them so that we have some for the salad!

When I am ready to make my croutons, I simply add a Tbsp of olive oil (extra virgin of course) to my pan and when the oil starts to warm I add the bread cubes. I drizzle with a bit more oil, then sprinkle liberally with high quality salt and spices. I like grinding pink salt, such as Himalayan, over the cubes and then adding garlic powder, oregano or basil, plus a favorite spice blend of mine from Trader Joe's called 21 Seasoning Salute, but you can use whatever spices and blends taste good to you! I sautee them on low and turn frequently to prevent burning until they crisp up. I should mention that I often let the crusts dry out on the counter before storing them in the refrigerator so that they are pretty stale. This makes for crispier croutons! When they taste good and crispy, they are done. Let cool and store in a container in the pantry until ready for use. I'm warning you though, you may have to hide them!