Once your baby has some teeth and is chewing well, the variety of foods you can offer him widens considerably!
We happen to be big bread lovers and like to experiment with different ways of preparing it for our children once they’ve mastered the art of chewing – and one way that’s ALWAYS a hit is to turn it into crostini!
Crostini – in Italian – means ‘little toasts’ – so it stands to reason that they are prepared by cooking slices of bread until they become nice and crispy.
Traditionally, they are made with white bread. But – always mindful of the considerable benefits of whole grain bread over regular white – we often make ours with the whole wheat variety instead.
Crostini can be served just as they are (as a type of teething cracker), topped with just about anything your baby likes, or an an accompaniment to soup. Our little man actually prefers using crostini to feed himself soup, to using a spoon!
How to make crostini
CHOOSE YOUR BREAD
Traditional crostini are small circles – and these are also easier for your baby to handle. So the best type of bread to use is a thin baguette.
SLICE THE BREAD
Cut the bread diagonally into slices. The thickness is a matter of preference – we cut ours around 1/4 inch thick as this is how our youngest child enjoys them. You can make them a bit thicker, but remember that this will give your baby more to get his teeth into!
PREPARE THE BREAD FOR COOKING
Set your slices out side by side on a baking sheet and carefully drizzle (or brush) them with a little extra virgin olive oil.
You can stop there if you want to keep things simple for your baby, or you can add a little sprinkle of herbs. You could also do what we do, and rub the slices with cut garlic (be careful, though – some fresh garlic can be quite hot and you don’t want the crostini to be too spicy for your baby to enjoy).
BAKE THE CROSTINI
Preheat the oven to 350 deg F (170 deg C).
Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for around 6 mins, then turn the slices over. Continue to bake for another 5 to 6 minutes until the crostini are pale gold and crisp, then remove from the oven. Serve warm or cold.
You can store any leftovers in an airtight container for a couple of days – any longer and they tend to lose their pleasing crispness.
Crostini topping ideas
- Cream cheese or cottage cheese – either by itself, with chopped fresh herbs, or even combined with a little fruit or veggie puree.
- Cooked beans (such as cannellini or broad beans), mashed with a little olive oil, a touch of garlic and fresh herbs.
- Tuna mashed with avocado
- Melted cheese (just top the crostini and pop them back in the oven for a couple of minutes)
- Grated Parmesan cheese (just add whilst the crostini are still warm)
- Homemade yogurt cheese
- Mashed sardines
If you have any great ideas for nutritious crostini toppings, then please do add them!
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Ricotta cheese and bean spread for baby
Tofu and avocado spread recipe
Melba toast – a great baby finger food