You can use bread that is a bit stale, it can be from a French loaf, a crusty uncut loaf or a ready sliced loaf. Good white bread works best.
If using thickly sliced bread, set the oven to 180c and bake for longer and, if using thinly sliced bread, set it at 200c and bake for a shorter time. This way the bread should be fairly crisp all the way through.
You need some slices of bread (each about the same thickness). Cut the bread into any shape you like. You can get cutters in various shapes: squares, circles, but if you don’t have cutters you can use scissors to cut squares, triangles or whatever you like. If using a French loaf, just cut it into equal slices. Cook only those of the same size and shape together, otherwise they will not brown evenly. I am not going to be specific about quantities here as this is a good way of using up any bread you have that is not fresh. You also need some olive or garlic oil or some melted butter.
Preheat the oven to 200c for thin slices or 180c for thick slices.
Use a pastry brush to brush each side of the bread shapes with olive oil. Put the bread on a baking tray and bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes before you check them, they need to be golden brown and fairly crisp. They might take longer especially if the slices are thick, so cook them for longer if necessary. You can serve them warm or let them cool on a wire rack. They can be stored in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months and defrost a few when you need to; they only take about half an hour to defrost at normal room temperature.
You can use shaped cutters to make small croutons for dips or canapés or cut the bread into cubes for salads or soups but you will probably need to reduce the cooking time so check them after 5 minutes – they will probably need at least 7-10 minutes.
If you have a food processor, you can make any crusts and leftover bread into breadcrumbs and keep them in a bag in the freezer – they will stay loose rather than freeze to a lump so you can use them as you need them.
