Caesar Salad With Spicy Croutons

I know we’ve done this topic before, and I thought that I’d covered all the bases. But when I put out a survey among all my challah readers, I was pleasantly surprised to find there are still more ideas for this burning question of… What should I do with all my challah leftovers?

First place for originality goes to my daughters for these incredible croutons, and then to my cousins Jacob and Dafna, for the idea to use them in the great salad below!

Directions

For the Croutons

These croutons are best on salads, not in soup where they will just get mushy and disintegrate. We use them in our Shabbos salads, which takes care of the hamotzi issue, since we have already washed for the meal.

Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C).

Cut challah into little cubes. Place in a large bowl. Add spices to cubed challah and drizzle on some of the olive oil. Toss to ensure all cubes are coated well, adding more oil as necessary.

Line a baking tray with Gefen Parchment Paper. Spread out croutons in a single layer.

Bake about 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until croutons are lightly browned, dried out and crispy. Let croutons cool completely and then store in an airtight container.

Notes:

I’m sure most people know this, but it bears repeating. If you want to reuse your leftover challah for milchig or pareve meals, you have to know its status. Was the challah warmed up on your fleishig blech or pots, or was it on the table with fleishigs? Personally, I only keep challah slices that I know are completely pareve. Then, when I take them out of the freezer, I know that I can do whatever I’d like with them.

For the Salad

These croutons are delicious in the following Caesar salad, which can be made dairy or pareve.

Toss vegetables together in a bowl and sprinkle with fresh lemon juice. Drizzle with dressing and top with amazing homemade spicy croutons.

If you are making the salad dairy, you can add some grated Parmesan or Romano cheese, or use a cubed salty cheese like feta—I prefer to use “Tzafatit” cheese in Israel, for its lighter flavor and better presentation

Blend all dressing ingredients using a hand blender or a kid who wants to “do something.” If not serving immediately, refrigerate dressing until ready to use.