Recipe for the Delicious Italian Bread Salad Panzanella
In spring and summer, tomatoes become increasingly beautiful and sweet—the perfect excuse to make a large bowl of panzanella.
Panzanella is a bread salad from Italy, Tuscany to be precise. In principle, you can make it with all kinds of vegetables, as long as there is plenty of bread in it. Bread is in the name of the salad, so it is the main focus of the meal. It is a salad with bread and vegetables, not the other way around.
Stale or toasted bread
Most recipes say that, for the optimal texture, you should use bread that is a few days old. It is indeed delicious, but you can also briefly toast bread in the oven. Bake cubes of bread at 180 degrees for about fifteen minutes, and you will have the perfect base for your salad.
A great way to use up leftover vegetables, and feel free to throw in whatever you like. But our favorite remains a classic version, with only tomatoes, a fresh vinaigrette and plenty of basil. Use the tastiest tomatoes you can find, and definitely mix different varieties together.
How to make panzanella
Place the tomatoes in a colander, season with plenty of salt, leave to drain for fifteen minutes and toss occasionally.
Mix the salad with the bread, vinaigrette and any other ingredients you like. But wait a little longer before adding the basil. Leave the salad to stand for 30 minutes, tossing occasionally, until all the vinaigrette has been absorbed. Add the basil just before serving.
