Crumpet Croutons

Origins:

While working with a crumpet at a food demonstration, I noticed that the strange texture of the crumpet could make a fabulous crouton.   Homemade croutons are something special and crumpet croutons even more so.  I decided to try them out on my friends at my book club meeting that evening.  The menu for that evening was gourmet pizza and Caesar salad.  The croutons were just coming out of the oven when my friends arrived, and of course they had to sample them. I wondered if there would be any croutons left for the salad.  Needless to say they were a hit!

The unique nooks and crannies of the crumpet are ideal for holding the oil and spices and the texture is perfection when toasted up in the oven.  The crumpets were toasty on the outside and had just the right amount of chewy bite on the inside.  These have been my go to crouton ever since.

I decided to see if crumpet croutons had been done before, and I discovered a like minded Aussie had a recipe on making croutons from her stale crumpets.  While crumpets are not something I had worked with before they have now gained a place as a staple in my pantry for my homemade croutons.

 Enjoy making croutons from crumpets!   

Crumpet Croutons

Ingredients

British style crumpets

Olive oil or butter or a combination of the two

Salt and pepper to taste

If you added nothing else they are delicious but I like to enhance the flavors of the croutons to compliment the dish I’m using them in.

Seasoning Options

Add garlic powder, onion powder and dried herbs for a basic dish.

For Caesar salad add fresh minced garlic approximately half way through the cooking process.

For panzanella add seasonings that compliment the style of salad you are making,  My Cajun style croutons have paprika and a little cayenne pepper added in addition to basic herbs.  

As you can see it's all about making the crouton compliment your dish.  There is no wrong or right combination.

Method

Cube your croutons according to the dish you are making.  The ones pictured here are on the larger size for Cajun panzanella salad.  I bake them on a baking sheet at 350 degrees, don’t overcrowd the pan so they will get nice and toasty.  Crumpets have a lot of moisture so they need to cook long enough that the moisture cooks out, but they retain a little chew in the bite. Approximately 15-20 minutes.  These croutons hold well for the next day and can be warmed up quickly in the oven to revive their crisp texture.