Panzanella Salad

Tuscan panzanella with ripe tomatoes, toasted country bread, cucumber, basil and red onion tossed in a sharp olive-oil dressing.

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Panzanella turns day-old bread into the heart of a salad. The bread should absorb tomato juice and dressing while still keeping some texture.

Ingredients

• 300 g day-old country bread (cut into 3 cm cubes)
• 600 g ripe tomatoes (cut into chunks)
• 1 cucumber (sliced)
• 0.5 red onion (thinly sliced)
• 25 g fresh basil (leaves torn)
• 70 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 25 ml red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove (finely grated)
• 0.75 tsp fine salt (divided)
• 0.5 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp capers (optional)
• 60 g black olives (optional)

Step-by-step method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C conventional or 180°C fan. Spread the bread cubes on a tray and toast for 8–10 minutes until the outside is dry and lightly golden but the centres are not rock hard.
2. Place the tomatoes in a large bowl with half the salt and leave for 10 minutes. Their juices will become part of the dressing.
3. Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, remaining salt and black pepper in a small bowl.
4. Add the toasted bread to the tomatoes and toss so the bread starts absorbing the tomato juices.
5. Add the cucumber, red onion, capers and olives if using, then pour over most of the dressing.
6. Toss well but gently and leave the salad for 15–20 minutes at room temperature. This softens the bread while keeping some chew.
7. Add the basil just before serving and taste. Add the remaining dressing only if the bread still seems dry.
8. Serve at room temperature rather than chilled for the best tomato and olive-oil flavour.