Storing croutons?

[tankgirl73]

I made fresh croutons the other day, found a nice recipe online. Used organic whole-grain bread from the farmer's market, olive oil, lots of fresh garlic... yummy... They turned out great and were wonderful with my new fresh-from-the-garden romaine!

But, I made a lot of them. Had to use up the loaf before it went stale. Then I realized I didn't know how to store them so they'd stay crisp and crunchy.

I ended up putting them in a ziploc baggie, since that's most similar to what the store-bought ones are like. Well, two days later they were tough and soft and not so nice anymore.

How can I store homemade croutons? Any tips for making and/or storing?

[cristeen]

Toss them on a sheet pan and pop them back in the oven for a few minutes to dry back out. I have this problem with homemade crackers - haven't found a solution yet, other than retoasting them every few days when I want to use them.

[tankgirl73]

I actually did that and they didn't get crispy again. They just stayed tough and soft.

[midwestmom]

you didn't keep them in the fridge, did you? I keep mine in a ziplock or glass container with a lid without problems in my pantry.

[tankgirl73]

No, they were in the pantry. I wondered if the fridge might have been better, since the pantry didn't work lol...

Maybe it's the way I made them? If you have no problems storing yours in the pantry, could you share your method/recipe?

[Ms. B. Sprout]

I have no problems storing mine in the pantry. I just make sure I get all the moisture out of them during the toasting process. Like, 3 hours at 200 degrees. If they are truly bone dry, they will store ok IME.