Panzanella Toscana Estiva
Tuscany — Florence and Siena provinces
Summer bread salad from Tuscany built on day-old unsalted Tuscan bread (pane sciocco) soaked briefly in cold water and squeezed, combined with ripe tomatoes, red onion, basil, and dressed aggressively with olive oil and red wine vinegar. Authentic panzanella is not assembled and dressed immediately before serving — it needs 30–60 minutes of rest for the bread to absorb the tomato water and dressing. The bread should be rough-torn, not cubed, and the tomatoes salted and rested to release their liquor before combining.