Panzanella: the Tuscan salad where stale bread is the point
A salad that, by tradition, was born so that stale bread would not be thrown away, and incidentally one of the best things to do with August tomatoes. The rule here is the opposite of every other salad: the bread is meant to soak — but in tomato juice, not water. Which is why the tomatoes are salted 20 minutes ahead and everything they release is collected: that pink, salty juice is the base of the dressing, and the olive oil and vinegar only round it out.
Your own work in that: 15 min.
- Tomatoes 20 min
- Bread 15 min
- Settling 20 min
Step by step
0 / 6 doneSalt the tomatoes and wait
Cut the tomatoes into large, uneven chunks straight into a big bowl, scatter over a teaspoon of coarse salt, toss and leave 20 minutes. The salt draws out their juice, and plenty of it will collect at the bottom. That is not waste — it is the base of the dressing and the only liquid the bread should soak up.
Ingredients: 800 g tomatoes · 300 g stale country bread · 1 pcs cucumber · 1 pcs red onion · 20 pcs fresh basil · 1 tbsp capers
TipCut them on a grooved board, or straight over the bowl. Every drop of juice that escapes onto the counter is flavour you cannot get back.
Twenty minutes, and the juice collects belowToast the bread
While the tomatoes release their juice, deal with the bread and onion. Tear the bread by hand into walnut-sized pieces — ragged edges absorb far better than clean knife cuts. Drizzle with two tablespoons of oil and bake on a tray in an oven heated to 190 °C for 12 minutes, until golden and dry outside but still slightly soft within.
TipFresh bread will collapse into mush. If fresh is all you have, cut it and leave it out for an hour, then toast it 3 minutes longer.
Torn by hand, toasted goldenPickle the onion
Slice the onion into thin half-moons and cover with the wine vinegar in a small bowl for 15 minutes. The vinegar takes off the harshness and the onion turns bright pink and crisp. Afterwards, pour that vinegar into the dressing — throw nothing away.
Ingredients: 6 tbsp olive oil · 3 tbsp red wine vinegar · 1 clove garlic · 1½ tsp coarse salt · ½ tsp freshly ground pepper
A quarter hour in vinegar turns it pinkMix the dressing
Pour the tomato juice off into a small bowl, add the olive oil (keeping back a spoonful for serving) and the vinegar from the onion, then the crushed garlic, the pepper and the rest of the salt. Stir with a fork. Taste: it should be frankly salty and sharp, because the bread will soon soften it.
TipThis is the best moment for seasoning. Once mixed with the bread, the salt is much harder to spread evenly.
Toss and let it settle
Add the bread to the tomatoes with the sliced cucumber, drained onion and capers. Pour over the dressing and toss with two spoons. Leave 20 minutes at room temperature — not in the fridge. The bread should soften without collapsing.
TipPanzanella is eaten <b>at room temperature</b>, never straight from the fridge. Cold mutes the smell of the tomatoes and congeals the oil, and in this salad the smell matters most.
Twenty minutes on the counter, not in the fridgeFinish with basil
Just before serving, tear the basil by hand and fold it through (cut with a knife, the edges darken faster). Drizzle over the reserved spoonful of olive oil and serve at once, in shallow bowls so you catch the juices at the bottom.
Basil torn, not cut, at the last moment
Before you start
How long it should stand
Twenty minutes is the sweet spot. After an hour the bread is a sponge and the salad is mush; after five minutes it is still dry and hard inside.
What to serve it with
It is a light lunch on its own, but it goes beautifully with grilled fish and chicken. In Tuscany it often accompanies summer dishes from the grill.
A richer version
Torn mozzarella, anchovies, black olives or roasted peppers. Keep the proportion: bread and tomatoes should still be three quarters of the bowl.
Which tomatoes
The recipe stands or falls on the tomatoes. Winter greenhouse ones release no juice and have no scent — out of season, make a different salad rather than this one.
