Today's Case:
Howard Johnson's Croutons
Re: HJ onion rings/cornbread/croutons
From: Sam
To: Phaedrus
Date: 10/10/2025, 4:02 PM
On 10/9/2025 7:38 PM, Sam wrote:
Greetings, I used to manage Howard Johnson Restaurants years ago and your recipe
for the onion rings and fried clams is right on. They did use the clam FLOUR and large
probably Vidalia onions sliced thick. Thanks for the cake mix/cornmeal flour idea….
It was a very light, sweet tasting flour.
They had their own mix for cornbread as I recall, but they always added orange marmalade
to it, and that reminds me they always added cold black coffee to their hot fudge sauce for
sundaes, that one is generally known. Also, they were very meticulous on scraping down
the sides of the 3 gallon ice cream Bens every time you scooped, even a single scoop out
of one, to keep it all fresh and moist!
I am trying to remember how to copycat their croutons, which I recall was cut up white
bread, baked once to crisp them and then dipped in a melted butter sauce and crisped again.
I remember using spices, but I can’t recall if it was directly on the croutons or in the butter mix!?!?!?
Thanks for your effort.
Hello Sam,
I cannot locate a recipe from HJ for their croutons. Several people have searched for it on the web with no success. Since Jacques Pepin created many of HoJo's dishes, maybe his crouton recipe is similar.
See: Jacques Pepin Melted Butter Tip
I also asked the Google AI to see what it could come up with. The AI's response is below.
Phaed
"There is no specific "Howard Johnson's crouton recipe" that is publicly available,
as the chain is no longer in operation. However, the classic, simple recipe likely used
by the chain involves cubing day-old bread and tossing it with melted butter or olive oil
and seasonings like salt and pepper, then baking or air-frying until golden and crisp.
Ingredients:
2–4 cups cubed day-old bread (like a baguette)
2–4 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Optional seasonings: garlic powder, onion powder, parsley, or other herbs
Instructions:
Prepare the bread:
Cut day-old bread into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes.
Coat the bread:
In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes with the melted butter or olive oil until evenly coated.
Add salt, pepper, and any other desired seasonings, and toss again to coat.
Cook in the oven:
Spread the cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake at 400°F for
8–12 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip them halfway through.
Cook in the air fryer:
Spread the cubes in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry at 390°F for
6–7 minutes, shaking the basket halfway through.
Cool:
Allow the croutons to cool completely before serving or storing them in an airtight container.
They will become crispier as they cool. "
If you try the recipe below, please let me know how close it is to HoJo's Croutons.
