Summer is the time of year when it’s normally a bit warmer… even here in Germany ;P If your apartment is right under the roof it’s always a good idea to serve something “light” on those warmer days. Of course, the first thing that comes to my mind, in this case, is a simple salad. For example, a delicious Italian Bread Salad aka. Panzanella with tomatoes, cucumber, and mozzarella. Perfect if you do not want to spend too much time in a hot kitchen… like me ;P
Salads are usually an easy lunch or dinner to prepare. You quickly chop up some lettuce and veggies, then you mix up a dressing and you’re basically done. For this salad, you’ll need to toast some bread in the oven first, but that’s also done in no time. While the bread is having a blast in the oven you can prepare the other salad ingredients. Easy peasy…
If you look at Italian recipes for Panzanella you will notice that it is made with Pane Sciocco quite often. That’s a simple Italian white bread (baked without salt), which can also be used for bruschetta, for example. If you can’t find this type of bread, ciabatta or a plain baguette will do just as well. I used a regular baguette from the bakery around the corner because that was all they had. Absolutely fine.
Many recipes use stale bread that is soaked in water, then squeezed and torn into small pieces. If you take a look at my recipe, you will notice that’s not the case here ;P I prefer to use relatively fresh bread for this salad and then lightly toast it in the oven. I like the flavors the bread develops when toasted in the oven. You have to be careful though – do not toast/roast the bread too much. You do not want croutons to come out of the oven ;P
Roasting the bread makes it a bit harder and dryer, of course, but if you let the salad rest/marinate for some time before serving the bread will soften again. Do not cut the bread into large chunks – you want smaller pieces you can easily get into your mouth (together with the veggies). Chewing only on a large piece of bread is not the goal here ;P
Anyway. There is not much more to say about the salad. Use fresh ingredients and you’ll end up with not only a feast for the eyes but also a delicious dinner (or lunch). We like to serve the salad as the main course with a few small bites on the side (e.g. marinated olives or dried tomatoes in oil). The bread salad is also great as an appetizer or as a side dish for a barbecue, for example. Then, of course, served in smaller portions ;P
INGREDIENTS / ZUTATEN
For the salad:
7 oz. (200g) white bread (e.g. baguette), cubed
2-3 tbsp. olive oil
28 oz. (800g) mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, cubed
4.4 oz. (125g) mozzarella balls, halved
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2-3 stalks of basil
salt, pepper
For the dressing:
1/4 cup (60ml) virgin olive oil
2-3 tbsp. red balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (optional)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
salt, pepper
Für den Salat:
200g Weißbrot (z. B. Baguette), gewürfelt
2-3 EL Olivenöl
800g gemischte Cherrytomaten, halbiert
1/2 Salatgurke, gewürfelt
125g Mozzarella Kugeln, halbiert
1 mittelgroße rote Zwiebel, in dünne Spalten geschnitten
2-3 Stängel Basilikum
Salz, Pfeffer
Für das Dressing:
60ml Olivenöl
2-3 EL roter Balsamico Essig
1 TL frischer Zitronensaft (optional)
2 Knoblauchzehen, sehr fein gehackt oder gerieben
Salz, Pfeffer
DIRECTIONS / ZUBEREITUNG
2. Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half. Cut the cucumber into small cubes. Drain the mozzarella balls and cut them in half. Peel the onion, half it, and cut it into thin slices. Remove the leaves from the basil stalks. Add the cooled bread pieces, the cut veggies, and basil leaves to a large bowl and mix to combine.
3. For the dressing peel and chop the garlic very finely (you can also grate it.) Mix the oil, vinegar, lemon juice (optional), and garlic in a small bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salad in the bowl and mix to combine. Let sit for about 15 minutes until serving.
2. Die Tomaten waschen, trocknen und halbieren. Die Salatgurke in kleine Würfel schneiden. Mozzarellakugeln abtropfen lassen und halbieren. Die Zwiebel schälen, halbieren und in dünne Spalten schneiden. Die Blätter von den Basilikumstängeln entfernen. Das abgekühlte Brot, das Gemüse und die Basilikumblätter in eine große Schüssel geben und vermischen.
3. Für das Dressing den Knoblauch schälen und sehr fein hacken oder reiben. Öl, Essig, Zitronensaft (optional) und Knoblauch in einer kleinen Schüssel vermischen, gut mit Salz und Pfeffer würzen. Über den Salat träufeln und alles gut vermengen. Bis zum Servieren etwa 15 Minuten ziehen lassen.
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Here is a version of the recipe you can print easily.
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Italian Panzanella Salad (Bread Salad)
- Prep Time: 00:20
- Cook Time: 00:10
- Total Time: 00:35
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Salad
- Cuisine: Italy
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
You like white bread? How about this Italian Bread Salad aka. Panzanella? Super delicious and very easy to prepare. Summer staple.
Ingredients
For the salad:
7 oz. (200g) white bread (e.g. baguette), cubed
2–3 tbsp. olive oil
28 oz. (800g) mixed cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, cubed
4.4 oz. (125g) mozzarella balls, halved
1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
2–3 stalks of basil
salt, pepper
For the dressing:
1/4 cup (60ml) virgin olive oil
2–3 tbsp. red balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice (optional)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or grated
salt, pepper
Instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C). Cut the bread into small cubes and add to a bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil on top, season with some salt and pepper, and mix to combine. Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. You want the bread to be crispy but not dry – do not turn it into croutons ;) Take out of the oven and let cool down.
2. Wash and dry the tomatoes and cut them in half. Cut the cucumber into small cubes. Drain the mozzarella balls and cut them in half. Peel the onion, half it, and cut it into thin slices. Remove the leaves from the basil stalks. Add the cooled bread pieces, the cut veggies, and basil leaves to a large bowl and mix to combine.
3. For the dressing peel and chop the garlic very finely (you can also grate it.) Mix the oil, vinegar, lemon juice (optional), and garlic in a small bowl. Season well with salt and pepper. Drizzle over the salad in the bowl and mix to combine. Let sit for about 15 minutes until serving.
Notes
Enjoy toasting!
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I love my job, but in between I love to bake and try new things in the kitchen. A lot of my friends and colleagues encourage me to bake - for a very simple reason: they get the leftovers - and it seems they like it most of the time ;) 
