Sweet & Crispy: Easy Homemade Bread Croutons (Rusks)
Reviving Stale Bread: A Quick 5-Minute Recipe for Delicious Bread Croutons
Discover how to transform leftover bread slices into delightful, crispy bread croutons (rusks) with this incredibly simple recipe. Perfect for snacking, as a treat for kids, or even for serving guests, these homemade rusks offer a satisfyingly sweet and buttery crunch. They’re quick to make and delicious to eat!
Ingredients- 7 slices of bread (slightly stale bread works well too)
- 100g unsalted butter
- 40g granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Like many households, we often find ourselves with a few slices of bread leftover from a loaf, usually destined for the freezer. This recipe is perfect for using up those stray slices and turning them into a delightful snack.
Step 2
1. Melt the Butter: First, melt the butter. You can do this quickly in the microwave for about 1 minute and 30 seconds until it’s fully liquid. This will make it easy to coat the bread.
Step 3
2. Cut the Bread: Cut the bread slices into bite-sized pieces. If you cut them into long strips, the sugar might drip off more easily during baking. To avoid this and make them easy to pop into your mouth, I’ve cut them into smaller cubes. This shape helps contain the sugar and makes them perfect for snacking.
Step 4
See? They look quite cute now. These might seem like ordinary bread pieces, but they’re about to transform into something truly special. Aren’t you curious to see how delicious they’ll become?
Step 5
3. Mix Butter and Sugar: In a bowl, combine the melted butter and sugar. Whisk them together to create a sweet, buttery coating. The aroma will start to build!
Step 6
Now, gently add the bread pieces to the bowl. Toss them carefully to ensure each piece is evenly coated with the sugar-butter mixture. Be gentle, like you’re handling delicate items, to prevent the bread from crumbling too much.
Step 7
Spread the coated bread pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet. Make sure they aren’t overlapping so that they bake evenly and become extra crispy.
Step 8
Hmm, they look a bit broken even though we mixed gently? Don’t worry! Slightly broken pieces actually have more surface area to absorb the buttery sugar mixture, leading to an even crispier and tastier result. In fact, I might break them even more next time! (chuckles)
Step 9
4. Bake the Rusks: Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (350°F) for about 15 minutes, or until golden brown and delightfully crispy. The result? Not just bread croutons, but wonderfully crunchy, buttery, and sweet bread rusks! They’re definitely not caramel popcorn, but they are just as addictive.
Step 10
Perhaps cutting them small to prevent sugar from dripping was a mistake? They’re so easy to eat that they disappear into my mouth almost instantly! I find myself blaming my own greedy mouth for finishing them so quickly. (Haha)
Step 11
I cut 7 slices of bread, so why does the final amount seem so small? I’m honestly wondering too. Maybe they were just *that* delicious, and I ate them all very quickly! (Half-joking)
Step 12
These crispy, super-easy bread rusks are baked in 15 minutes, but the preparation takes only about 5 minutes. It’s a ‘5-minute fix’ snack that you absolutely must try! You won’t regret it!
