Tomato Panzanella (Bread Salad)
To make panzanella, toss chunks of crisped or toasted day-old bread with very ripe chopped tomatoes, red onion, basil, and a sharp olive-oil-and-vinegar dressing, then let it sit 15–20 minutes so the bread soaks up the tomato juices. The salad depends on two things: genuinely ripe, flavourful tomatoes and sturdy bread that softens without turning to mush. Salt the tomatoes first to draw out their juices for the dressing.
Panzanella is what to make when the tomatoes are perfect and there’s half a loaf going stale on the counter. It’s a Tuscan bread salad that turns two humble things — ripe tomatoes and day-old bread — into one of the great dishes of late summer, glistening with olive oil and torn basil. It’s proof that the best cooking is often the simplest.
Peak tomatoes only
This salad is a celebration of tomatoes, so it lives and dies by them. Use the ripest, most flavourful tomatoes you can find — garden or market, in season. It’s the recipe you make in August, not February. Salt them first and let them weep; those juices become part of the dressing.
Sturdy, crisped bread
The bread must be sturdy and a little stale — a country loaf, sourdough, or ciabatta — so it soaks up the tomato juices and dressing without dissolving. If yours is fresh, tear it into chunks and toast or crisp it in the oven first. That structure is what keeps panzanella from turning to paste.
Let it soak, but not too long
Toss everything together and let it sit 15–20 minutes so the bread drinks up the juices — then serve. Much longer and it goes soggy; it’s a same-day, room-temperature salad.
Make it yours
- Add crunch: cucumber or thinly sliced fennel.
- Salty hits: capers, olives, or torn bocconcini.
- Herbs: lots of basil, or add oregano or mint.
- Protein: white beans or a tin of good tuna make it a meal.
Season boldly, toss gently, and serve at room temperature. Panzanella is summer on a plate — and the ultimate reward for a good tomato harvest.
At a glance
Tomato Panzanella (Bread Salad)
Ingredients
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Instructions
- If the bread isn't dry, toast or crisp the chunks in a hot oven until golden. Cool.
- Chop the tomatoes, salt them, and let them sit 10 minutes to release their juices.
- Whisk the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, and seasoning; stir in the tomato juices.
- Toss the bread, tomatoes, onion, and basil with the dressing.
- Let stand 15–20 minutes so the bread soaks up the juices, then serve at room temperature.
Frequently asked questions
What bread works best for panzanella?
Sturdy, rustic bread — a day-or-two-old country loaf, sourdough, or ciabatta. Stale bread is traditional and ideal because it holds its structure as it soaks up the tomato juices and dressing without collapsing into mush. If your bread is fresh, tear it into chunks and toast or crisp it in the oven first so it can drink up the juices without falling apart.
How do I keep panzanella from going soggy?
Use sturdy, crisped bread and dress it not too far ahead — 15 to 30 minutes of soaking is the sweet spot, long enough for the bread to absorb the juices but before it turns to paste. Salt the tomatoes first and use their released juices as part of the dressing. Serve it at room temperature the same day; it doesn't keep well overnight.
Do the tomatoes really need to be that ripe?
Yes — panzanella is a celebration of peak tomatoes, so it's only as good as the tomatoes in it. Use the ripest, most flavourful ones you can get, ideally garden or market tomatoes in season. Pale, out-of-season tomatoes make a sad panzanella. This is the recipe to make in late summer when tomatoes are at their absolute best.