Quick Tuscan Bread Salad Recipes

Steps:

• In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar and olive oil; season with salt and pepper.
• Add bread, tomato, cucumber, fontina cheese, and Kalamata olives.
• Toss well to combine. Transfer to an airtight container, and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to overnight. Garnish with fresh basil leaves, if desired.

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a baking sheet, and toast until the bread is completely dry but not browned. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.
• In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and gently toss until thoroughly combined. Let stand for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before serving.

Steps:

• Place bread cubes on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until dried and toasted, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool to room temperature. , In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, olives, capers and toasted bread. Drizzle with 1/2 cup vinaigrette; toss to coat. Let stand for 5-10 minutes. , Add romaine and remaining vinaigrette; toss to coat.

Steps:

• Toast bread slices under broiler for about 4 minutes on each side.
• Remove slices and rub with garlic cloves.
• Prepare dressing by whisking ingredients together in a small bowl, and seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Cut bread slices into small cubes and add them to a serving bowl.
• Next add the tomatoes, beans, roasted pepper and basil.
• Pour dressing over salad and toss to coat.
• Let salad rest about 5-10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• For the dressing: In a blender, add the olive oil, mayonnaise, Parmesan, parsley, sugar, vinegar, black pepper, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic and lemon juice and blend until pureed.
• For the salad: Put the romaine and iceberg greens in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. Top the salad with the pepperoncini, olives, tomatoes and onions. Sprinkle with Parmesan at the end.

Steps:

• Place the tomatoes and mozzarella in a large bowl. Put the garlic, mustard, vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a 1-cup glass measuring cup and slowly whisk in the 1/2 cup of olive oil. Set aside.
• Heat the remaining 1/3 cup of olive oil in a large (12-inch) saute pan until hot but not smoking. Add the bread cubes and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Saute over medium to medium-high heat for 5 to 8 minutes, tossing occasionally, until the bread is evenly browned and crisp. Add the warm bread to the tomatoes and mozzarella. Add enough of the vinaigrette to moisten all the ingredients. Add the basil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss carefully, adding more vinaigrette if necessary. Serve at room temperature.

Steps:

• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Arrange bread and vegetables on baking sheet. Brush bread and vegetables lightly with 3 tablespoons vinaigrette.
• Grill pepper and onion 6 minutes, turning occasionally. Place bread and tomato slices on barbecue. Continue to grill until pepper and onion are slightly charred, bread is toasted and tomatoes are heated-through, turning occasionally, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer vegetables and bread to work surface; cut into bite-size pieces.
• Place cannellini, sliced basil and remaining 3 tablespoons vinaigrette in large bowl; toss to coat. Mix in grilled vegetable and bread. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper; garnish with basil sprigs, if desired.

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except dressing in large bowl.
• Add dressing just before serving; toss to coat.

Steps:

• Heat grill to medium heat.
• Brush bread and vegetables with dressing. Grill 6 min. on each side or until bread is golden brown and vegetables are crisp-tender.
• Cut bread and vegetables into 1-inch pieces; place in large bowl. Add cheese; mix lightly.
• Top with basil. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Rub a peeled clove of garlic around a wooden salad bowl.
• Pull apart or chop the bread into bite-size pieces.
• In the prepared salad bowl, combine the bread, tomatoes, cucumbers, red onions, garlic, basil and thyme. Add enough olive oil and vinegar to lightly coat, toss and serve.

Steps:

• Brush both sides of bread with 1 tablespoon oil. Place on a baking sheet. Broil 4 in. from the heat for 1-2 minutes on each side or until lightly browned. Cut into 1-in. cubes. , In a large bowl, toss the bread cubes, tomatoes, cucumber, onions and cheese. Divide among four lettuce-lined salad plates. In a small bowl, whisk the vinegar, garlic, basil and remaining oil. Drizzle over salads. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, cucumber, onion, garlic and basil.
• Drizzle with the 1/2 cup olive oil and the 3 tblsps vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss well.
• Place half of the bread in a wide, shallow bowl.
• Spoon half of the tomato mixture over the bread.
• Layer the remaining bread on top and then the remaining tomato mixture.
• Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Just before serving, toss the salad and adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper.
• If the bread seems dry, add a little oil or vinegar.
• Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Make the paste 1 or 2 days before making the bread. Pour the boiling water over the flour in a mixing bowl and stir vigorously until the flour is hydrated and makes a thick, smooth paste. Cool, cover, and leave out overnight at room temperature.
• The next day, make the dough. With a large metal spoon, mix together the flour and yeast in a 4-quart mixing bowl (or in the bowl of an electric mixer). Add the paste and olive oil. Stir together (or mix on low speed with the paddle attachment), adding as much water as it takes to make a soft, supple ball. It's okay if the dough is a little sticky because you can add more flour while kneading.
• Sprinkle flour on the counter, transfer the dough to the counter, and knead by hand for about 10 minutes (or mix for 6 to 8 minutes on medium speed with the dough hook; you can let the dough rest after 4 minutes of mixing and resume 5 minutes later to make it easier on your machine). The dough should be tacky but not sticky. Continue to sprinkle in more flour as needed. The dough should pass the windowpane test and register 77° to 81°F. Lightly oil a large bowl and transfer the dough to the bowl, rolling it around to coat it with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
• Ferment at room temperature for approximately 2 hours. If the dough doubles in size prior to that, knead it lightly to degas it (the "punch down") and return it to the bowl to continue fermenting until it doubles again or until a total of 2 hours has elapsed.
• Line a sheet pan with baking parchment and lightly sprinkle with cornmeal or semolina flour. Gently divide the dough into 2 equal pieces (they should weigh about 18 ounces each), being careful to minimize degassing the dough. With a light touch to protect the internal gas, form the dough into boules. If you plan to bake the loaves as rounds, transfer the dough to the prepared sheet pan. If you prefer oblong loaves, shape the dough rounds into bâtards after a 15-minute resting period, and then place them on the prepared pan. Mist the dough lightly with spray oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap.
• Proof the dough at room temperature for 60 to 90 minutes, or until it nearly doubles in size. (You can also retard the dough by placing the covered pan in the refrigerator immediately after shaping and leave overnight. The dough should be nearly ready to bake when you pull it out of the refrigerator. If not, leave out at room temperature for a couple of hours.)
• Prepare the oven for hearth baking, making sure to have a steam pan in place. Pour 2 cups of water into the steam pan. Preheat the oven to 500°F. Just prior to baking, mist the loaves with water and dust lightly with bread flour by tapping some through a sieve held over the loaves or by flinging the flour across the surface of the dough. Score the breads as desired.
• Slide the breads directly on to the baking stone, parchment and all, or place the pan on the middle shelf of the oven. After 30 seconds, open the door, spray the oven walls with water, and close the door. Repeat twice more at 30-second intervals, and then lower the oven setting to 450°F and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the steam pan 10 minutes after loading the oven (be careful not to splash yourself in case there's any water left), rotate the loaves 180 degrees for even baking, and continue baking for 10 to 20 minutes longer, or until the loaves turn a rich golden color and register over 200°F in the center. If the crust is getting too dark and the inside has not reached above 200°F, place an aluminum foil tent over the loaves and continue baking until the desired temperature is reached.
• Transfer the loaves to a rack and cool for at least 1 hour before slicing or serving.
• Note: A variation of this bread can be made with a biga instead of the flour paste, and comes out nicely as a salt-free Italian or French bread. I wouldn't call it true Tuscan bread, though, because it doesn't have that unique flavor brought about by the cooked flour. Unlike most hearth breads where we pour 1 cup of water into a steam pan, this bread calls for a pan with 2 cups of water to be preheated along with the oven. This extra water ensures a moist oven that yields a better shine on the crust.