What do you do with sourdough bread? Make this super easy sourdough panzanella salad! This classic Tuscan salad is made with easy ingredients and tastes beyond delicious.

Sourdough bread has had so much good press over the last few years.

That’s for good reason!

Sourdough bread is the “healthier” of all the breads out there. So, let’s sit back and enjoy a bowl of this delicious warm bread salad.

Originally published on August 3rd, 2016 at 4:31pm. Click here to see why this recipe was updated.

Front viewo of bread salad with olives, tomatoes, bread, onions and capers.
This panzanella salad is a simple bread salad made with sourdough bread

Ingredients

Here is a quick look at the ingredients. It is to understand why these specific ingredients were chosen. To get the full recipe, go to the bottom of this post.

Sourdough Bread – “The long fermentation process of making sourdough bread means that the bread is so much more digestible and healthy for our gut. Sourdough contains bacteria that activate an enzyme that breaks down phytic acid, a difficult-to-digest anti-nutrient that’s present in all grains and seeds. In addition, sourdough amazingly breaks gluten down into amino acids making it easier for many people to digest without restricting their diet.” – Susan Vinskofski – Learning and Yearning

Olives – If you have followed me for a while, you know that I sing thunderous praises for olives! It’s one of the healthiest ingredients on the planet. Packed with good fats, it can be a great snack or light lunch. I am using black olives and manzanilla olives.

Tomatoes – Yes, I am a huge fan of tomatoes on the vine (AKA Campari tomatoes) because they are packed with lycopene and antioxidants. It adds Vitamin C to this recipe which makes it priceless.

Red onions – Red onions have a ton of sulfur in them. Sulfur, among other advantages, can help lower blood sugars and reduce the production of unhealthy cholesterol. Source: Tufts.edu.

Capers – Other than a delicious tangy taste, there is a lot of good in capers. They are rich in antioxidants, fiber, and iron. It helps your heart and brain function more efficiently. Source: MotherEarthStorehouse.com.

🍅 Tomato Tip: To prevent the salad from getting soggy, use firm tomatoes. Firm tomatoes don’t leak too much juice when chopped.

How to make sourdough panzanella bread

Step 1: Toasting the bread

Top view of the 4 steps needed to toast bread.
The best part of this salad is toasting the sourdough bread.
  1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) and place your sourdough bread on a cutting board
  2. Roughly cut the sourdough into cube shapes.
  3. Place bread in a glass bowl and drizzle avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil) over the sourdough bread. Spread cubed bread onto a baking sheet
  4. Place it in the oven & bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Your cooking time will depend on the freshness of your bread. Fresh bread will require more time in the oven.

Step 2: Assembling the sourdough bread salad

Collage of the 4 steps needed to assemble the panzanella salad
Simple ingredients bring delicious flavors to this tomato bread salad.
  1. While the bread is in the oven, cut the tomatoes and onions. I like chopping them into cube shapes.
  2. When the bread is cool to the touch, put it into a glass bowl.
  3. Put the chopped tomatoes and onions in the bowl, along with the other ingredients.
  4. Mix well and serve, immediately.

🌿 Herbs tip: If you can find fresh basil, oregano, and parsley, use that in this tomato bread salad. Fresh herbs add amazing flavors.

Answering Common Questions

Should the bread be toasted?

Only toast your bread if it is fresh and fluffy from the inside. If your sourdough bread is about 5 days old, you don’t need to toast it because it is already firm from the inside.

What else can I add to bread salad?

– Roasted garlic
– Sun-dried tomatoes
– Cucumber
– Mozzarella cheese or feta cheese
– Bell peppers

What’s the best bread for bread salad?

Traditionally, it’s made with a baguette or some French baguette. Sourdough bread is really good for it. If you don’t have those, you can go with any stale bread. Or, make your own bread using any of these bread machine recipes!

Does the bread need to be soaked?

Bread pieces are traditionally soaked in cold water for about 5 minutes. Then, squeeze out the water by hand. Each piece of bread is gently opened by hand and then toasted in the oven.

🍞 Air Drying the Bread: Don’t want to turn on the oven? Cut your bread into pieces and then put it close to a window for about 15-20 minutes. This will dry out the bread. Tip from Jamie Oliver.

Make ahead and storage

Top view of panzanella salad in a white bowl.
This bread salad is a great way to use up old sourdough bread.

Making this salad with bread and tomatoes means that it will get soggy after an hour. So, sadly, this bread should be eaten as soon as you make it.

But, you can toast the bread ahead of time. Chop the ingredients and store them in a glass container. Bring the salad together when you are ready to eat it.

If there are any leftovers, refrigerate immediately. Use it up within a day or two. Do not freeze this salad because it will get soggy when thawed.

Instead of the bread, you can also use sourdough crackers! My Daily Sourdough Bread shows you how to make them using sourdough discard.

I normally buy sourdough bread so that I can make this amazing avocado tartine and even this sourdough pasta. Have you tried it?

What to serve with it

Top and closeup view of panzanella bread salad with olives, tomatoes, bread, onions and capers.
This colorful Panzanella bread salad is ready in just 20 minutes.

This bread salad works great as an appetizer. Serve it at any Sunday brunch alongside puff pastry pinwheels, beet lemonade, and caprese tart.

It’s a great appetizer for any Italian dinner night. If you are serving pasta like lemon orzo pasta, casarecce pasta, or stuffed peppers, then this sourdough panzanella will be the perfect fit.

Try these bread recipes

Have even more stale bread leftover? Turn it into croutons or panko breadcrumbs.

Sharing is caring

Don’t be shy, chime in below in the comments. Let me hear your opinion on this panzanella salad recipe. If you enjoyed this, please give it a 5-star rating and share it on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Front viewo of bread salad with olives, tomatoes, bread, onions and capers.

Sourdough Panzanella Salad

Rini
What do you do with sourdough bread? Make this classic panzanella salad with sourdough bread! Its an easy vegan bread salad.
5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Appetizer, brunch
Cuisine Italian, Mediterranean
Servings 4 people
Calories 150 kcal

Ingredients
  

For toasting the bread

  • 1 sourdough bread 1 Lb or 16oz
  • 1 Tbsp avocado oil

For assembling the salad

Instructions
 

Step 1: Toasting the bread

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (176°C) and place your sourdough bread on a cutting board
  • Roughly cut the sourdough into cube shapes
    1 sourdough bread
  • Place bread in a glass bowl and drizzle avocado oil (or extra virgin olive oil) over the sourdough bread. Spread cubed bread to a baking sheet
    1 Tbsp avocado oil
  • Place it in the oven & bake in the oven for 10 minutes. See Notes

Step 2: Assembling the sourdough bread salad

  • While the bread is in the oven, cut the tomatoes and onions in cube shapes
    2 tomatoes, ½ red onion
  • When bread is cool to touch, put it into a glass bowl
  • Put the chopped tomatoes and onions in the bowl, along with the other ingredients
    2 cup mixed olives, 1 Tbsp capers, 2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp pink salt, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp black pepper
  • Mix well and serve, immediately.

Video

Notes

NUTRITION INFO IS APPROXIMATE.
– Your bread toast time will depend on the freshness of your bread. Fresh bread will require more time in the oven.
– If you can find fresh basil, oregano and parsley, use that in this tomato bread salad. Fresh herbs add amazing flavors. 
– To prevent the salad from getting soggy, use firm tomatoes. Firm tomatoes don’t leak too much juice when chopped.

Nutrition

Calories: 150kcal
Keyword panzanella salad, tomato bread salad, What to do with stale bread
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Version 1 of this recipe

Front view of bread salad

I used white bread for this salad and that didn’t work for me anymore. So, I remade this recipe using sourdough bread. Most of the ingredients are the same here. Get the original recipe here.

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16 Comments

  1. The recipe tasted great, and I just love how the sourdough bread soaked up all the sauce! Will definitely make again fresh tonight.

  2. I absolutely love that you have capers and olives in this recipe! Super delicious. I’ll be making this again for sure!

  3. I love this bread salad. I think it is the perfect use of the leftover bread that I often have at home. Everyone was asking for seconds. Loved all the bright veggies and the beautiful dressing.

  4. I love the addition of bread to this. It makes it more filling – salads always make me hungry after a little while. Love that you didnt soak it and left it crunchy, adds so much more texture to the salad.

  5. The toasted bread looks like it has the perfect texture and crunch for a super satisfying salad! Love all the flavors you combined in this dish. I won’t be tossing any leftover bread for sure now!

  6. Bread salads are so delicious and the tip of using bread with the sesame seeds is a great way to add additional flavor, YUM! Your salad looks absolutely scrumptious and I would savor every bite!