Brown Butter Croûtons

For croûtons that look ordinary but have big flavour, we borrowed a tip from North Carolina, where they steep hunks of bread in herb-infused butter before toasting. Here, we toss the bread in garlic brown butter before baking in the oven.

6 oz country-style bread, torn into 1" irregular pieces (about 4 cups)
10 cloves garlic, smashed
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
kosher salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Place bread in a large bowl. Cook garlic and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, swirling often, until foaming subsides, butter turns golden brown, and garlic is fragrant, 6-8 minutes. Drizzle garlic butter over bread and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper.

Spread out bread mixture on a small rimmed baking sheet.

Bake croûtons until deep golden brown and crisp, 20-25 minutes. Let cool, then pluck out and discard cloves garlic.

Makes about 4 cups.

Do Ahead:  Croûtons can be made 1 week ahead. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.