Panzanella: Tuscan bread and tomato salad, two ways
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Panzanella (Tuscan bread and tomato salad)
A summer classic that’s even better made a couple of hours ahead, so it’s waiting in the fridge when you get home. Light yet satisfying, and the best way we know to use up stale bread.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chilling: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Dairy-Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 6 large slices (about 400 g / 14 oz) firm, stale Tuscan-style bread (2–3 days old is perfect) or a firm farmhouse loaf
- 3 tablespoons wine or apple cider vinegar
- 120 ml (½ cup) good extra virgin olive oil
- 500 g (1 lb) tasty, firm tomatoes, peeled and chopped
- 1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- ½ small sweet onion, very thinly sliced
- 10–15 basil leaves, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped or crushed (optional)
- 1 celery stalk, very thinly sliced (optional)
- Cherry tomatoes, halved, to decorate (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the bread in one of two ways. Traditional Tuscan method: soak the bread in water with 2 tablespoons of vinegar for 10–15 minutes, squeeze out the water very, very well and crumble it into a large serving dish. This gives an almost tabbouleh-like texture. Modern method: cut the bread into 1 cm (½ in) cubes and put them in a large serving dish. This works with any bread and gives more bite.
- Add a pinch of salt, some pepper, another splash of vinegar, the garlic (if using) and half the oil. Mix well.
- Add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil, celery (if using) and the rest of the oil.
- Cover well and chill for at least an hour so the flavors blend.
- Decorate with cherry tomatoes, if you like.
