The Tuscan panzanella is a dish known worldwide and interpreted in many ways. The original recipe includes a few ingredients, but each family adapts it to their taste. This is my family’s recipe, easy and perfect for this heat! Follow me and you won’t regret it!
If you want to challenge the heat and make homemade bread for Tuscan panzanella, I suggest checking out these links
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Very Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: No Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
- Energy 201.39 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 23.40 (g) of which sugars 4.64 (g)
- Proteins 3.99 (g)
- Fat 10.13 (g) of which saturated 1.29 (g)of which unsaturated 0.02 (g)
- Fibers 3.00 (g)
- Sodium 685.76 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 125 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients
The main ingredient of this dish is undoubtedly the Tuscan bread, that unsalted and rustic, at least 3/4 days old (Tuscan PDO bread is naturally leavened so it goes stale much slower than other types of bread). In the FAQs at the end of the article, I suggest what to do if you don’t have Tuscan bread on hand!
The quantities of the other ingredients can vary greatly: I don’t like onions much and put the minimum quantity, for example, but you can double the amount if desired. Same with vinegar: some people like it abundant while others, like me, prefer the “right amount.” It’s all about finding the balance that pleases your palate!
- 5.3 oz Tuscan bread (stale)
- 1.8 oz red onion (preferably from Tropea)
- 10.6 oz tomatoes, ripe, fresh
- 4.4 oz cucumber
- 1.4 oz extra virgin olive oil
- 0.9 oz white wine vinegar
- 1.2 tsp salt
- 5 leaves basil
Tools
- 1 Cutting Board
- 2 Bowls
- 1 Ladle
- 1 Colander
Steps
Preparing the original Tuscan panzanella is very easy, it takes very little time. However, I recommend preparing it in advance and letting it rest in the refrigerator as long as possible, even up to a day! The flavors will blend and balance perfectly.
On a cutting board, cut the stale bread into chunks. You can also add leftover slices or irregular pieces. For Tuscan panzanella, it’s all good!
Pour water until it almost covers the bread, which will naturally tend to float.
A practical solution is to place a plate as shown in the picture: the bottom will prevent the bread from floating to the surface and will soak it well. Let it sit like this for at least 1 hour, better if 2.
After the time has passed, pour everything into a colander to remove most of the water, then wring out the bread little by little.
Then pass the bread through your hands to “crumble” it; it will become very small pieces, perfect for absorbing the dressing.
Once the bread is “crumbled” it will look like this, a bit irregular with some larger pieces. If you prefer more uniformity, simply pass the bread through your hands a second time.
After cutting the onion into small pieces, add it to the bowl with the bread and mix it with the ladle.
Also cut the tomatoes, salt them, and add them to the bowl. Mix them well too.
Finish with the cucumber cut into slices.
Tear the basil with your hands and add it to the original Tuscan panzanella.
Season with oil, vinegar, and salt and mix very well. I recommend adding the vinegar gradually because the longer the panzanella sits, the more the vinegar flavor will come through.
Once well mixed, cover the bowl with a lid or plate and store it in the fridge to rest. The longer you wait, the more intense the flavors will be. Serve it in small bowls, maybe with an additional drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (EVO).
Tips and Suggestions
The Tuscan panzanella has its roots in the peasant culture of reusing food and dishes made with “what’s available.” For this reason, each family has its recipe where perhaps the cucumber is missing, or the vinegar is left out or something else is added: it’s a dish made with what’s available, and being a summer dish, tomatoes are never missing! Have you tried other variations of Panzanella? Come tell me on Instagram!
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
I don’t have Tuscan bread, what can I do?
For a good panzanella, you need unsalted bread but especially very rustic: a large loaf, for example, is a good solution or even Matera bread
What tomatoes are best to use?
The perfect tomatoes for the original Tuscan panzanella are the ribbed Florentine tomatoes, but since they are quite difficult to find, even red and ripe San Marzano tomatoes are perfect
