Panzanella: the original Tuscan recipe

Cut the bread into slices and then into smaller pieces. Place in a bowl and add half a glass of cold water. 

Slice the onion finely and place it in a bowl. Cover with cold water and the vinegar.

Cut the vine tomatoes into slices and the cherry tomatoes into halves. Squeeze the bread and tear it into pieces, making sure they are not too small.  

Place the bread in a serving dish, add the tomatoes and the strained onion rings. Dress with oil, salt and basil. 

Useful tips and interesting facts

You will need Tuscan bread for the original Panzanella recipe. An unsalted loaf made from soft flour. In fact, in Tuscany it is actually known as  “pane sciapo” (meaning unsalted bread) owing to this one of a kind characteristic. Use stale bread, so long as it is hard and not likely to crumble when it comes into contact with the water and vegetable juices. The onion is soaked in water and vinegar to mitigate its pungent flavour. Panzanella is actually a light summery vegan dish, suitable for all palates. If you are after an even more intense flavour, you can prepare panzanella a couple of hours before serving but, in this case, remember to leave the bread to soak for only a few minutes. 

Variants

If you wish to add a crunchy element to your panzanella, throw in some diced cucumber. Instead of unsalted Tuscan bread, you could use a wholemeal or multigrain loaf.