This Panzanella Toscana is the ultimate Italian summer meal. Loaded with juicy tomatoes, crunchy onions, and cucumbers, this bread salad gets its wonderful flavors from simple, high-quality ingredients.
Add bread into the bowl and immerse it well so it can nicely soak. Allow to rest for 10 minutes.
Place tomatoes, onion, and cucumber into a large mixing bowl.
Drain and squeeze the bread to remove excess of moisture, and then crumble it into the bowl with the vegetables.
Season with salt and pepper, then add a generous glug of extra virgin olive oil and lots of hand-torn basil.
Mix well to combine everything. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Notes
If you using fresh bread, I suggest slicing it and leaving it on the countertop covered with a kitchen towel overnight, so it will stale and be ready the next day. Or you can pop it in the oven for a couple of minutes to dry it a bit.
Allow panzanella salad to rest overnight, the flavors will infuse bread resulting in a more flavored dish.