This is one of those “you really needed a recipe for this” recipes which show up in cookbooks occasionally. When I see something like this it’s a reminder that the things we assume are common knowledge aren’t always so common. In 1884, croutons were still obscure enough that they warranted 3 recipes but common enough to be included early on in “plain cooking” lessons.
Most of us today grew up with boxed croutons, those semi-stale bread pieces our mothers put on iceberg lettuce salads, always on top of the big “glug” of ranch dressing. They were an indifferent finishing touch to an indifferent salad that we suffered through in hopes of getting desert afterward.
Little did my 8 yr old self know, but homemade croutons are really easy to make & even tastier to eat.
The instructions from “Mrs. Lincoln’s Boston Cooking School Cookbook” consist of 3 steps, if you follow Mary’s direction to remove the crusts from your bread. Otherwise we can shorten this into just two steps; chop & fry. With one hint… Don’t skimp on the butter. That’s literally everything there is to know about making croutons. And trust me, once you’ve made these there is no going back to those awful boxed things.
Mary suggests that Tomato Soup without Stock be garnished with these crunchy little nuggets and I fully agree. They are just the right amount of oomph to that soup or to an iceberg lettuce salad if you are still suffering through those things. But honestly, I ended up eating these croutons straight from the pan!
See you in the past!
Croutons
An easy & delicious way Victorians used up stale bread.
Ingredients
- Stale Bread
- Butter
- Salt
Directions
- Step 1 Remove crusts from stale bread (optional).
- Step 2 Chop bread into roughly 1″ cubes.
- Step 3 Melt plenty of butter in a frying pan.
- Step 4 Cook bread cubes in butter until golden brown.
- Step 5 Add more butter as needed.
- Step 6 Sprinkle with salt.
- Step 7 Serve with salad or tomato soup.
- Step 8 Or just eat them fresh from the pan.
Works Cited
105 Wellington Street, East Collingwood Australia. Date Unknown.
Lincoln, Mary J. Mrs. Lincoln’s Boston Cook Book: What to Do and What Not to Do in Cooking. Boston, MA: Roberts Brothers, 1884.
