Gluten-Free Heirloom Tomato Panzanella Salad

Gluten-free sourdough tossed with the best flavors of summer make this equally crunchy and juicy. This gluten-free heirloom tomato panzanella salad recipe is a warm summer weather winner. Made with fresh garden vegetables and herbs and a gluten- free sourdough.

 

What Is Panzanella Salad?

In Italian, panzanella means "bread in a bowl". As such, panzanella salad is a bread salad, which, who doesn't love the sound of. It is traditionally from Tuscany and made with ripe tomatoes, red onions, cucumbers, basil, olive oil, and vinegar. 

 

History of Bread-Based Dishes in Europe

Sounds like a salad with croutons, minus the lettuce, right? While croutons were invented by the French in the 1600s and popularized in French onion soups or with broth, cheese, and meat, panzanella was adopted during the same era in Tuscany. 

Back then, homemade sourdough bread was a major staple in European households, and finding a way to repurpose it was the throughline between many European food cultures: from Florence, To France, to Portugal. 

While there are croutons from France, Açorda from Portugal, and Torrijas from Spain (French Toast) - they all involve the same thing: using leftover bread, whether wet or toasted. 

 

How To Make Panzanella

To make this crusty bread salad, you'll first need a dry loaf of artisan or sourdough bread. You can let it sit out overnight to make it lose its moisture. Or, if you have stale bread on hand, you can use that as well.

Toast the bread in the oven or throw it on the grill or a cast iron pan to toast. This allows the bread to further lose moisture and have a bit of a crusty layer. 

Letting the bread lose moisture allows our vinaigrette to be soaked into the bread and add tons of flavor. 

You'll toast the bread, soak the red onions (to reduce the harsh bite of the onion), mix all the ingredients together with the vinaigrette, let sit to soak, then serve.

 

What Kind of Gluten Free Bread to Use for The Best Panzanella 

Back in the 17 through the 19th centuries, sourdough was the only bread to use. In fact, commercialized dry yeast wasn't invented until the late 1900s. Therefore, our gluten-free sourdough works perfectly in this recipe. 

Bread SRSLY is made from a blend of gluten-free flours and water, creating natural yeast, which give rise and a tangy flavor to the bread. This is great for this recipe where bread is the star. You'll want to use a good gluten-free sourdough.  

 

How To Make This Gluten Free 

A panzanella isn't easily swapped with gluten-free bread without the right techniques. Gluten-free grains are able to absorb a lot more moisture than wheat, which can cause a gluten-free bread to become more mushy than wheat bread in a panzanella recipe if you aren't careful. 

Don't soak the gluten-free bread on its own for this recipe. Simply add it to the entire salad and allow it to soak before serving. 

 

Total Time: 40 minutes | Serves: 4-6
Gluten-free, vegan

 

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Calories: 308
Fat: 15g
Carbohydrates: 40g
Fiber: 5g
Protein: 4.5g

 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1/2 loaf gluten-free Bread SRSLY sourdough, cubed
  • 4 bell peppers, cubed
  • 2 medium tomatoes, cut into large slices
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 3 cucumbers, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • Chiffonade of fresh basil
  • Pinch of salt
  • Fresh pepper, to taste
  • Optional: additional olive oil for finishing

 

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place cubed sourdough onto a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until browned. While the bread is in the oven, soak the red onion in the sherry vinegar.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, shallot, salt, and pepper.
  3. Add bell pepper, tomatoes, cucumbers, soaked red onion, basil, and sourdough in a large serving dish, then combine with the dressing. Let sit for about 20 minutes before serving to let all of the flavors meld together.
  4. Drizzle with additional olive oil before serving, if desired.
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