Don’t throw away stale bread. If the piece of bread is very hard or completely dried out, you can grate it on the side of the grater for the cheese, and – presto – you have bread crumbs! Place them in a jar in the fridge and they will last forever. You can add more when your supply diminishes, or whenever you have more stale bread.
If the bread is hard, but you can still cut it, cut it up in cubes. Lay the cubes on a baking sheet and dry them completely in the oven at a low temperature, about 120oC. When they have dried out, turn up the temperature to 150 – 170oc until they are lightly browned. Watch them closely, because they burn easily.
This way you have your own croutons – for a fraction of the store bought ones – and you can flavor them according to your taste. You could sprinkle garlic on some, oregano and salt on others – the combinations are endless.