Easy Panzanella Salad Recipe
Ready for a taste of Tuscany? My easy Panzanella Salad Recipe brings together crispy bread, juicy tomatoes, and crunchy cucumbers in a refreshingly simple dish. We toast the bread to golden perfection, toss it with fresh veggies and a dash of vinegar, then let it chill to soak up the flavors.
Equipment
- knife
- 2 Mixing bowls
- Chopping-board
- Salad bowl for serving
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 400 g/14.1oz sourdough bread stale
- 400 g/14.1oz tomatoes
- 2-3 cucumbers
- 1 red onion
- A fresh bunch of basil
- 300 ml/10.01oz water
- 2-3 Tbsp white wine vinegar
- Extra virgin olive oil EVOO
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Start by preparing your salad's base: crispy toasted bread. First, slice the bread into 2cm cubes and dry it in the oven at 130°C/ 266°F until it becomes crispy.
- While the bread is drying,remove the green stem from each tomato and chop the tomatoes into small pieces over a mixing bowl, catching the juices inside.
- Trim both ends off the cucumber and slice it into rounds, not too thin. Then, cut each round in half. Peeling is optional—keeping the skin on can enhance the flavor depending on the variety available.
- Add the halved cucumber slices to the bowl with the tomatoes. Tear the basil leaves by hand and add them to the mixing bowl.
- Mix everything gently with your hands, then let the mixture rest to blend the flavors.
- Meanwhile, thinly slice the onion into half-circles and separate the pieces. Soak the onion slices in a bowl filled with water and a bit of white wine vinegar to mellow their sharpness; set aside to rest.
- Once the bread is toasted, transfer the cubes to your serving bowl. Sprinkle a little water over the bread to moisten it, aiming for a balance between soft and crunchy, and mix with your hands to ensure the bread absorbs the water evenly.
- Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of white wine vinegar evenly over the bread, ensuring it spreads across all pieces.
- Add some torn basil leaves over the bread and toss everything together gently with your hands, then let it rest for half an hour.
- Check the onions for flavor; if you’re happy with them, squeeze out excess water and add them to the tomato and cucumber mix, otherwise allow to soak longer.
- Gradually mix half of the vegetable mixture into the bread using a spoon, reserving the other half for garnish.
- Pour any leftover tomato juice from the mixing bowl over the salad.
- Season with cracked salt and pepper to taste. Let it rest in the fridge. Ideally, chill the salad for at least 1-2 hours before serving; this helps the flavors meld together.
- After resting, add approximately 4-5 tablespoons of EVOO to both the salad and the reserved tomato mix. Then, give the tomatoes a gentle toss by shaking it lightly. This helps to revive the ingredients and evenly distribute the EVOO.
- Pile the remaining tomato mixture on top of the salad in the bowl for a finishing touch.