Panzanella is a delightful Italian bread salad made with summer's bounty: fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and basil.

This is a "what you have on hand" salad. It is not a recipe that requires exact amount or ingredients. When I made it last, I used a few different loaves of bread that were in danger of spoiling in the heat. I made pesto the day before so I didn't have quite as much basil as listed below, but added all that I had.
Gluten free? Use gluten free bread. No shallots, use a little garlic or green onion.
You get the idea.
Panzanella (Italian Bread Salad)

Ingredients
- 1 pound loaf Italian or French Bread (cut in 1 inch cubes)
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (divided use)
- 1 ½ pound fresh tomatoes (cut in 1 inch cubes)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 medium cucumber (peeled, seeded and cut into slices)
- 1 small shallot (chopped)
- ¼ cup fresh basil (chopped)
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, add bread pieces and drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil over them to coat. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until light brown, flipping once. About 15 minutes.
- While bread is toasting add tomatoes and ½ teaspoon salt to the bowl and toss lightly. Let stand 15 minutes. (this is when I chop the remaining ingredients)
- Remove bread from the oven and set aside to cool briefly.
- Drain the tomato juices to a small bowl. Add cucumbers, shallot, basil and toasted bread to the tomatoes.
- Add vinegar and 6 tablespoons oil to the tomato juices. Whisk to combine, then drizzle over the the salad. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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Marilyn
Thank you for hosting! This is what I featured the week of 8-31 to 9-4 on my blog. On Tuesday was Zucchini Bread. Wednesday was Strawberry Cream Cheese Bread. Thursday was Traditional Stollen Bread. And winding up this week of Breads was The Secret to Really Good Banana Bread. Enjoy!