This Italian Panzanella Bread Salad recipe is made with toasted ciabatta, heirloom tomatoes, peaches, basil, olives and capers. Together with a sherry vinegar dressing, it’s bursting with flavour!
Course
Salad
Category
Italian, Mediterranean
Prep Time15minutes
Cook Time20minutes
Total Time35minutes
Servings4as a side
Calories442kcal
AutorElle
Ingredients
250gciabatta (or rustic sourdough bread),cubed or torn into pieces
600gmixed heritage tomatoes,cut into small wedges or cubes
5tablespoonsextra-virgin olive oil
3tablespoonssherry vinegar
1shallot,finely diced
2tablespoonscapers,coarsely chopped
35gKalamata olives,pitted and halved (about 15 olives)
2peaches,thinly sliced
1generous handful of basil,torn or slivered
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper,to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan-assisted (400°F / 200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the bread cubes on the prepared baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and a sprinkle of salt. Using your hands, toss until evenly coated; drizzling more olive oil if needed. Spread in an even layer and bake on the middle rack of the hot oven until golden and crisp, tossing halfway through (15-20 minutes). Set aside to cool.
Meanwhile, place a large colander over a bowl. Place the tomatoes in the colander, sprinkle with salt and toss gently. Set aside for minimum 10 minutes. This will draw out some of the excess juices from the tomatoes.
In the bottom of a large serving bowl, combine the olive oil and vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Add the shallots, olives, capers, tomatoes, peaches and crispy bread cubes and toss until coated. Add the basil leaves and toss again.
Serve and enjoy!
Notes
I use fresh (or day old) ciabatta for this recipe. If using stake bread, you will need to reduce the baking time, depending on how dry the bread already is.
Sherry vinegar is a has a unique and complex taste that is delicately sweet and nutty. It's made from the Spanish fortified wine (sherry), and has a slightly softer acidic bite to it than red or white wine vinegar. If you don’t have sherry vinegar on hand, you can use a quality red wine vinegar in it’s place.
If you are looking for more ways to use sherry vinegar, try my Spanish potato salad recipe.