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Steeping the Soul

Salads & savories, Yum · 9 September 2020

Simple Panzanella recipe: The best way to use stale bread

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Today we have another salad recipe for you (not potato salad this time!) delicious and simple Panzanella recipe or Italian bread salad. Quite simply, it is the best way to use stale bread.

The beauty of this salad is its simplicity. It only needs a few ingredients – primarily stale bread and tomatoes and a few condiments – and it is actually better if it is made in advance. This is definitely a win in my books! Depending on what bread you use, it’s vegan too!

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Panzanella recipe or recipe for Italian bread salad, with image of bowl of panzanella salad

What is Panzanella?

Panzanella, also called panmolle, is a Tuscan chopped salad that uses stale bread, onions and tomatoes as its core ingredients. It is often listed as one of THE recipes you have to try if you are visiting Tuscany. Although it is not traditionally from the area of Italy that we have visited most, it is still delicious and is popular in most parts of central Italy.

Originally, Panzanella only included onions with oil and vinegar, served with toast. It wasn’t until the 20th century that it included tomatoes It was traditionally a meal eaten but farmers with fresh vegetables and herbs from the garden or fields, but it has also been served in the houses of noblemen.

Panzanella comes from two words, “pane” (Italian for bread) and “zanella,” the deep plate or soup bowl it is served in.

It is also very patriotic. If you notice, it also has the colours of the Italian flag: red (tomatoes), white (bread) and green (basil).

Tips to make your Italian bread salad easier

Tomatoes

This panzanella recipe calls for cherry tomatoes. Really, you can use whatever tomatoes you can get at the market or the supermarket or, if you are lucky, in your own garden. If you can, get different coloured tomatoes as it makes the salad so much prettier, but it doesn’t make a huge difference to the taste.

I use cherry tomatoes because it is easier and a little quicker. In most cases, you only have to cut them once. Realistically, it does not take much longer to cut larger tomatoes.

Make sue your tomatoes are ripe! (If they could do with some more ripening, leave them on the window sill in the sun for a couple of days).

Whatever you do, save any tomato juice and add it to your salad. It is so important to the taste!

Close up of the bread, tomatoes and onions in our panzanella recipe

Stale bread

Another bonus of this Italian bread salad recipe is that you can use bread that is too stale to use in a sandwich. It should not be too hard though. Yes, this delicious Panzanella recipe is, quite simply, the best way to use stale bread.

For my Panzanella recipe, I prefer more rustic bread, like ciabatta or a rustic baguette (French stick). If I can, I will get a ciabatta or baguette that needs to be baked to the end in the oven at home. I cut it open horizontally when I put it in the oven so that it doesn’t just turn golden on the outside, but toasts the inside too.

When the bread comes out of the oven, I cut it into cubes as soon as I can stand to touch it. In most cases, it will still be steaming. The fresh air that hits the bread when I cut it helps to slightly harden the surface of each piece, which is perfect for Italian bread salad.

If you are using stale bread – which is what the Tuscans would do – cut it and soak it in water for a few minutes. Squeeze the bread dry and then add it to the salad.

Fresh and colourful Panzanella salad, with a spoon

Other things that you can add that are not used in this Panzanella recipe

While Florentine traditionalists might disagree with some of these ingredients, you can find Panzanella recipes that include the following additional ingredients.

What we like to add (sometimes):

  • cubes of cucumber
  • baby mozzarella balls (halved)
  • roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • capsicum (bell peppers) cubed
  • rocket salad leaves (arugula)
Panzanella recipe or recipe for Italian bread salad, with image of a centred bowl of panzanella salad, with a spoon

What other recipes might include – some of these I wouldn’t even consider, others I don’t include because someone (Peter) absolutely detests them:

  • olives
  • capers
  • anchovies
  • celery
  • carrots
  • tuna
  • boiled eggs
  • mint
  • garlic
Panzanella - Italian bread salad - banner with image of tomatoes on chopping board
Panzanella salad - simple and authentic

Panzanella

This easy, traditional Italian Panzanella salad is a great salad to make in advance and is an unusual addition to most barbeques.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 4 hrs
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8 potions

Equipment

  • sharp knife
  • salad bowl
  • salad servers

Ingredients
  

  • 1 ciabatta or rustic baguette
  • 500 g cherry tomatoes
  • 4 spring onions
  • a handful of basil
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar
  • salt and pepper

Instructions
 

  • Cut the ciabatta in half lengthways and toast in the oven until it just starts to brown. Take it out and cut the loaf into small cubes, about 1.5 cm wide, and place the cubes in a bowl.
  • Halve the cherry tomatoes (quarter large ones) and add to the bowl. Make sure you add any juice released while cutting the tomatoes to the bowl too.
  • Finely chop the spring onions and basil and add it to the bowl.
  • Drizzle liberally with olive oil and with balsamic vinegar. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
  • Allow the salad to sit for at least four hours, stirring occasionally to see that the bread and tomatoes are starting to soak up the seasoning. The aim is to serve the salad before the bread goes soggy. Taste test before serving and add more olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper as desired.

Notes

The panzanella tastes and looks best if you can get a variety of heirloom tomatoes in different colours. If you can’t get cherry tomatoes, use normal tomatoes chopped into small pieces. Make sure you catch the juice and add it to the salad.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 141.98kcalCarbohydrates: 29.33gProtein: 5.49gFat: 0.47gSaturated Fat: 0.24gSodium: 283.46mgPotassium: 152.81mgFiber: 1.21gSugar: 1.7gVitamin A: 365.44IUVitamin C: 15.38mgCalcium: 11.2mgIron: 0.51mg
Keyword bread salad, panzanella, stale bread, summer salads, traditional Italian recipe
Have you tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Try this Panzanella recipe for your next barbecue!

Add this Panzanella recipe and our other super simple recipes to your arsenal for your next barbecue or get together. Easy, doesn’t need many ingredients and can be made well in advance and is delicious: it is the perfect Summer salad.

What will you be adding to your Panzanella?

Bon appetite sign-off

Save this recipe for your next barbecue!

Panzanella: easy Italian bread salad recipe: pin with image of panzanella
Panzanella recipe: Italian bread salad recipe: pin with image of salad
Panzanella recipe: how to make Italian bread salad: pin with image of salad and spoon

Posted In: Salads & savories, Yum · Tagged: ripe tomatoes, simple salad recipe, stale bread, Super simple Summer salads, Traditional Italian foods, vegan recipes

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I’m Rachael and these are my chats with my late Mum over a cup of tea. Let's make your life easier with simple & delicious recipes, easy craft ideas, home hacks, parenting tips, travel hints, tricks & itineraries and tonnes of Little helpers. Come share our adventures and take time for tea.

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