Name: Panzanella
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 2 h
Cuisine: Italian, Tuscany
Ingredients: 400 g stale Tuscan or country bread, 2–3 days old, cut into 1 cm slices; 250 g cold water, for softening the bread; 500 g ripe firm tomatoes, small dice or mixed wedges and halves; 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced; 1 medium cucumber, peeled if desired and thinly sliced; 15 fresh basil leaves, torn by hand; 70 g cold water, for the onion soak; 85 g wine vinegar, 70 g for onion soak plus 15 g for final dressing; 60 g extra-virgin olive oil, about 4 tablespoons; 5 g fine sea salt, or to taste; 1 g freshly ground black pepper

Panzanella: wide hero view of a colourful bread-and-tomato salad on a white plate with red and yellow tomatoes, torn bread, red onion and basil on a rustic wooden table

Prep20 minutes

Cook0 minutes

Total2 h

Yield4 servings

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The dish

About Panzanella

Panzanella is a Tuscan cucina povera dish built around stale bread and seasonal produce. Visit Tuscany identifies the essential core as stale bread, ripe tomatoes and basil, with onion and cucumber among the familiar additions.

The recipe succeeds or fails on water control. Bread must soften enough to break into irregular moist crumbs, but it should not become a wet paste. La Cucina Italiana’s current method uses a measured bread soak, followed by squeezing if necessary, and separately macerates the onion to soften its raw bite.

Ripe firm tomatoes are preferred because they provide juice without collapsing completely. Their liquid then seasons the softened bread from inside the bowl rather than being drained away.

Vinegar is split between the onion soak and the final dressing. The onion therefore loses some aggression before it joins the salad, while a smaller fresh dose of vinegar remains perceptible at serving.

The finished panzanella is rested cold before service. That pause allows bread, tomato and dressing to meet without turning the cucumber and onion limp.

Technique

Three things that matter

Soak, then squeeze. Bread should be moist and crumbly, never waterlogged.
Treat the onion separately. A short water-and-vinegar soak softens the raw onion without removing its crunch.
Dress after the cold rest. Adding the final oil and vinegar close to serving preserves the vegetable texture.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Bread and vegetables

400 gstale Tuscan or country bread2–3 days old, cut into 1 cm slices
250 gcold waterfor softening the bread
500 gripe firm tomatoessmall dice or mixed wedges and halves
1medium red onionthinly sliced
1medium cucumberpeeled if desired and thinly sliced
15fresh basil leavestorn by hand

Onion soak and dressing

70 gcold waterfor the onion soak
85 gwine vinegar70 g for onion soak plus 15 g for final dressing
60 gextra-virgin olive oilabout 4 tablespoons
5 gfine sea saltor to taste
1 gfreshly ground black pepper

Step by step

Method

Soften the bread and onion

Soak the bread. Lay the bread in a wide dish, pour over 250 g cold water and press lightly so the slices moisten evenly. Leave for 40–45 minutes.
The bread should soften throughout but still squeeze into loose crumbs rather than paste.
Macerate the onion. Combine the sliced onion with 70 g water and 70 g vinegar for 15–20 minutes, turning a few times, then drain well.
The onion should taste cleaner and less sharp while retaining bite.

Build the salad

Prepare the vegetables. Cut the tomatoes into small pieces, slice the cucumber thinly and tear the basil by hand. Keep all tomato juices in the mixing bowl.
The tomatoes should be ripe but not collapsing into puree.
Crumble the bread. Lift the soaked bread and squeeze lightly only if it is dripping. Crumble it by hand into a large bowl.
The crumbs should be irregular and moist, not compressed into dough.
Combine without crushing. Add drained onion, tomato and its juices, cucumber and basil. Toss gently until the bread is evenly distributed.
Large bread crumbs and vegetable pieces should remain visible.

Rest and dress

Chill before final seasoning. Refrigerate the mixed panzanella for about 1 hour.
The bread should absorb tomato flavour without releasing a pool of water.
Dress and serve. Add olive oil, the final 15 g vinegar, salt and black pepper. Toss once more and serve cool.
The salad should taste fresh and tangy, with bread soft but not mushy.

Practical guidance

Bread choice

Unsalted Tuscan bread is traditional, but any sturdy country loaf works better than soft sandwich bread.

Make-ahead

The vegetables can be cut early, but final dressing is best close to service. If holding overnight, the cucumber and tomato lose more texture.

Tomato juice

Do not discard it. The natural juice is part of what seasons and rehydrates the bread.

Serving

Panzanella works as an appetizer, light lunch or side dish, especially when tomatoes are at their best.

Troubleshooting

The salad is mushy. The bread was too fresh, soaked too aggressively or not squeezed after absorbing excess water.
The bread is dry in the centre. The slices were too thick for the soak or were not pressed into the water evenly.
The onion dominates. It was not soaked long enough or was sliced too thickly.
The bowl is watery. The vegetables were salted too early or the bread was already saturated before tomato juices were added.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: 1 of 4 bowls
Calories: approximately 455 kcal
Carbohydrates: 64 g
Protein: 11 g
Fat: 18 g
Fibre: 6 g
Sodium: approximately 650 mg

Estimate uses 400 g country bread and 60 g olive oil; sodium varies with the bread, especially if it is not Tuscan-style unsalted bread.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten.

Wash raw vegetables thoroughly and keep the finished salad refrigerated until service.

Discard panzanella left at warm room temperature for more than 2 hours, especially in hot summer conditions.

FAQ

Why use stale bread?

Stale bread absorbs water and tomato juices while retaining a crumb structure; fresh bread tends to collapse into paste.

Can the cucumber be omitted?

Yes. Tuscan household versions vary, while stale bread, tomato and basil form the most consistent core.

Should panzanella be served ice-cold?

No. Cool is ideal; a few minutes out of the refrigerator improves tomato and olive-oil aroma.

Final note

What matters most

Result: A cool, tangy salad where softened bread carries tomato juice, basil and olive oil while onion and cucumber keep fresh crunch.
Key: Controlled soaking separates good panzanella from a wet bread paste.