Equipment
Ingredients
Salad Base
- 250 g rustic sourdough or ciabatta bread, stale, torn into bite-sized chunks
- 600 g ripe tomatoes, chopped into wedges or large chunks
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced
- 15 g fresh basil, leaves picked and roughly torn
Vinaigrette
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 30 ml red wine vinegar
- 1 garlic, minced
- 5 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 336 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbohydrates
- 39 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fiber
- 4 g
- Sugar
- 6 g
- Sodium
- 1179 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 2 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Potassium
- 416 mg
- Calcium
- 32 mg
- Iron
- 0.8 mg
- Magnesium
- 23 mg
- Phosphorus
- 48 mg
- Zinc
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin A
- 73 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 23 mg
- Vitamin E
- 3.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 37 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.2 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.08 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.04 mg
- Niacin
- 1.0 mg
- Folate
- 30 mcg
- Water
- 175 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the chopped tomatoes in a colander set over a large mixing bowl. Toss the tomatoes with the kosher salt.
Let the tomatoes sit for 15 minutes to draw out their natural juices into the bowl below. This tomato water will form the base of the vinaigrette.
While the tomatoes drain, soak the thinly sliced red onions in a small bowl of cold water for 10 minutes to remove their harsh bite, then drain thoroughly.
Remove the colander of tomatoes and set aside. To the bowl containing the extracted tomato juice, add the minced garlic, red wine vinegar, and black pepper. Slowly whisk in the extra virgin olive oil until emulsified.
Add the torn stale bread, drained tomatoes, and drained red onions to the vinaigrette bowl. Toss thoroughly to ensure every piece of bread is coated in the dressing.
Let the salad rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. This allows the dry bread to soak up the juices and soften slightly while maintaining a chewy core.
Just before serving, tear the fresh basil leaves over the salad and give it one final gentle toss. Serve at room temperature.
Chef's Notes
- Tearing the bread rather than cutting it with a knife creates craggy, irregular edges that absorb the vinaigrette much better.
- The quality of the olive oil is paramount here. Since the dressing is uncooked, use your best finishing extra virgin olive oil.
- Never refrigerate your tomatoes before making this dish; refrigeration destroys the volatile flavor compounds that make fresh tomatoes taste vibrant.
- If your bread isn't stale enough, you can artificially age it by lightly toasting the torn pieces in the oven until they sound hollow when tapped, but do not let them take on dark color.
Storage
Refrigerator: 24 hours — Bread will continue to soften and may become mushy after 24 hours.
Troubleshooting
Bread turns completely to mush
Cause: Using standard sandwich bread or bread that was not stale enough.
Fix: Cannot be fixed
Prevention: Always use a dense, rustic loaf like ciabatta or sourdough. If your bread is fresh, tear it and dry it in a 150C/300F oven for 15 minutes before using.
Salad tastes bland or flat
Cause: Under-ripe tomatoes or insufficient salt.
Fix: Add a splash more red wine vinegar and an extra pinch of flaky salt before serving.
Prevention: Use tomatoes at peak summer ripeness and ensure they are well salted during the draining step.
Cultural Context
Panzanella originates from the central Italian region of Tuscany and is a classic example of 'cucina povera' (peasant cooking). Historically, it was created as an ingenious way to utilize leftover, rock-hard bread by rehydrating it with water, vinegar, and the abundant juices of summer vegetables.
