I just discovered I can make low-carb croutons in my air fryer (Power XL 7 qt 1700 watt basket style). Using my familiar Einkorn English Muffin as the base, it was a piece or cake, or perhaps I should say a piece of “toast”. 🙂 This time I coated them with my spice mixture, but next time I’m going to put it right into the batter when making the muffin just for ease. Doubt it will make a bit of difference in the end result. We both thought these a tasty substitute for high-carb commercial croutons. To lower carbs, you could use some other low-carb bread or merely eat less of them on your salad.
INGREDIENTS:
1 recipe my Einkorn English Muffin
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
¼ tsp. my Seafood Spice Blend
¼ tsp. each onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper
Dash sea salt
VARIATION: Use other seasoning blends to change things up a bit
DIRECTIONS: Make the English muffin by that recipe’s instructions (linked above). DO NOT slice the muffin laterally but rather into 1/2 cubes. The croutons will toast better if not larger than ½” size. Let cubes rest on cutting board for 1 hour to totally dry out. Turn them over once to try to get them dry to the touch on all surfaces.
When about ready to get meal together, toss them into a medium bowl with 1 T. olive oil. If adding spices to surface, mix it into the olive oil in the bowl and then toss in your cubes. Stir well to coat. Place them in the basket of your air fryer (or in a pan if you have the shelf type. I place a small round cake cooling wire rack on mine to be sure they didn’t fly around during cooking. Cook at 375º for about 6 minutes, checking often and shaking to get all sides brown and toasty. Add more time if needed to get them to a firm and toasty state without them burning. All fryers are different and the time is variable with each brand/model. Cool completely before serving. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can toast these in a 375º conventional oven on a sheet pan. Will take about 13-15 minutes on the middle shelf, turning and tossing with a spatula a couple times during cooking to achieve even browning. Remove and cool, serving fairly quickly while they are still crisp.
Low carb breads do not keep their crunchy quality for long, but if you have some leftover (I did) put remainders in a ziplock bag and reheat in the air fryer at 375º for 2-3 minutes to toast them right up again.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes enough to garnish 4 salads. Each of the 4 servings will contain:
114 cals, 10.4g fat, 4.6g carbs, 2.25g fiber, 2.35g NET CARBS, 3.33g protein, 94 mg sodium
Buttoni's Low-Carb Recipes 