RECIPE INTRODUCTION

Panzanella

Panzanella exists because Tuscan cooks refused to waste bread, and the whole dish still turns on that principle — the bread is not a garnish, it is the point. What makes this version worth making even when you have no stale loaf to use up is the addition of peaches, which sit alongside the tomatoes as though they had always belonged there.

The bread gets toasted rather than left to go stale, which is faster and gives you more control. Torn into bite-sized chunks, tossed with three tablespoons of oil and seasoned, then five minutes at 180°C on Bake until lightly golden. You want them dry and crisp on the outside but not rock-hard — they need to absorb dressing without dissolving.

The most important step is the one that looks like it does nothing. Cut tomatoes go into a colander over a bowl with a generous pinch of salt and sit for fifteen minutes. The salt draws out their juice, which collects underneath and becomes the base of the dressing — sweeter and more concentrated than anything you could build from scratch.

While that happens, the red onion pickles in red wine vinegar with a little sugar and salt. Fifteen minutes is enough to take the raw bite off it and turn it slightly pink. Then the tomato juices, the pickled onions and the Dijon get whisked together into a dressing that costs you nothing and tastes of the tomatoes themselves.

Assemble at the very last moment. Tomatoes, peaches, toasted bread and basil tossed through the dressing and served immediately — this is not a salad that improves while it waits. Give it ten minutes on the table and the bread goes from pleasantly chewy to unpleasantly soggy, which is the one way to get panzanella wrong.

RECIPE AT A GLANCE

Prep Time	Cook Time	Total Time	Servings	Course	Appliance
20 mins	5 mins	25 mins	6	Lunch, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish*	Instant Vortex Air Fryer (model not specified)

* Not stated in the source document — see the note at the top of this page.

PRODUCT USED IN THIS RECIPE

Appliance: Instant Vortex Air Fryer (model not specified in source)

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INGREDIENTS

Amount	Ingredient
350–400g	sourdough loaf
700g	mixed tomatoes
½	red onion
3 tbsp	red wine vinegar
¼ tsp	sugar, for balance
2 tsp	Dijon mustard
6 tbsp	olive oil (3 tbsp for the bread — see note regarding the remaining 3)
A handful	basil, picked
2	peaches, sliced
To taste	salt and pepper (used in the method but missing from the source ingredient list)

 

METHOD

1. Cut or tear the sourdough into bite-sized chunks.

2. Add the sourdough to a bowl, then drizzle over 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to coat. Season the bread with salt and pepper.

3. Place the bread into the basket of the Instant Vortex.

4. Select Bake, set the temperature to 180°C and bake for 5 minutes, until lightly golden.

5. Cut the tomatoes into bite-sized pieces. Place them in a colander set over a large mixing bowl to catch the juices. Sprinkle over a generous pinch of salt, then let the tomatoes sit for 15 minutes to release their juices.

6. In a small bowl, combine the red onion, red wine vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt, and set aside to pickle.

7. Once ready to serve, mix the tomato juices with the pickled onions and mustard until combined. Season the dressing to taste.

8. Add the tomatoes, peaches, toasted bread and basil to the dressing.

9. Toss and serve immediately.

NUTRITION (PER SERVING)

Nutritional information was not provided in the original source document, so it has not been included here rather than estimated.

 

Five minutes in an air fryer turns fresh bread into croutons without heating an oven for a salad — which is exactly what you want in the middle of summer.

Browse the full air fryer range at instantpot.ie, or find more salad recipes in our recipe collection.