FWSY Saturday Bread with Bruschetta Al Pomodoro – An amazing, mouthwatering antipasto recipe

When you hear Bruschetta, you automatically think summer, Italy, Italian food and crusty bread, warm days, sparkling drinks, sun hats, sandals and smiles.

Homemade Bruschetta Al Pomodoro and the Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast Saturday Bread recipe are something I can whip up all the time. I most likely always have the ingredients on hand and need to use it up. And this is a brilliant recipe that really can be modified to whatever other leftovers you may have.

This classic antipasto is really easy to make and only needs a few fresh ingredients, good bread, tomatoes, red onion, basil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, a good cheese and extra virgin olive oil.

Bruschetta is an incredibly easy, simple food but maybe that’s why it’s so popular. Somehow the easier, simpler and basic a recipe is, the better it tastes in my opinion.

What is Bruschetta? 

Bruschetta (pronounced broo-skeh-ttah) is served as an antipasto and uses the best quality ingredients to make something simple but delicious.

In it’s purest form, Bruschetta is grilled bread rubbed with garlic and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and a little salt. The word bruschetta refers to the process of preparing and cooking the bread.

But it can be prepared with a variety of toppings and these can get quite different and complex, with many toppings in restaurants around the world or on blogs unlikely to ever be seen in Italy. And I guess this is why I love European recipes so much. French and Italian people are very specific about maintaining the traditional ways of a recipe, of reproducing it the same way every time without deviation.

It is this love and appreciation for their food that is so intrinsically linked to their culture and why their foods and dishes are so revered.

This Classic Bruschetta – Bruschetta Al Pomodoro is one that is loved throughout Italy. It uses fresh tomatoes (pomodoro) as a simple yet delicious topping. 

Italian Bruschetta Ingredients

The Tomatoes for Bruschetta 

Which tomatoes to use – Use the freshest and ripest tomatoes you can, they will have the sweetest purest flavour. I like to use Roma tomatoes, but if the ripest you can find are cherry tomatoes, then use those. The vine grown ones are the best I’ve found, especially as they teeter over to slightly overripe.

How you cut the tomatoes is very much dependent on where you go in Italy. Some regions will serve slices of tomato, while others will serve chopped. I go on what I feel like for the day. If the tomatoes are super fresh, then I chop because slicing them becomes difficult. If they are less ripe and can hold form better, I may slice super thin so it can be topped with cheese or something else and is easier to layer onto.

The Onion for Bruschetta

In Italy the addition of spanish onion (red onion) comes down to each individual family recipe and how their Nonna used to make it! I love to add just a little to our bruschetta because I love the taste of spanish onion in these types of dishes. 

There is only a small amount of onion in the recipe, just to give it a different texture and add some sweetness. Onion starts to “cook” slightly when left to sit in the juice of the tomatoes due to the acidity, so feel free to leave the onion out if you find the taste of raw onion too strong. You can also thinly slice the onion with a mandolin and then add them at the end as a topper to avoid this which is what I usually do.

The Bread for Bruschetta

You want to use a good rustic style loaf for this. Something like a Pane di Casa or a crusty artisan loaf is perfect! Day-old Ciabatta can be a great choice too. 

I use my own bread that I make. My favourite two bread books are Flour, Water, Salt, Yeast by Ben Forkish and Tartine Bread by Chad Robertson. I am adding the recipe I use to this post.

Some of the sourdough loaves are fabulous as they are so dense they make great crispy sturdy toasts, so they hold up well to the tomato juice!

Just make sure that if you are buying the bread, you get a sturdy continental style bread and not the sandwich style that’s soft. Once you have your loaf, cut it into slice about 1.5cm thick. You can go a little thicker, but don’t go thinner, or your toast won’t hold the weight of the tomatoes.

Brush the bread with olive oil or butter and then grill on both sides until golden and crispy. You can do this under the grill, on a pan, or on the BBQ. I like to use a cast iron grilling pan with grill lines so I can get the lovely charr marks. They add extra flavor. 

Once grilled, take you peeled clove of garlic and rub it over the crispy bread. Rub firmly enough that it releases some garlic flavor/juice, but not so hard that your rip or tear your bread.

Drizzle the bread with an excellent extra virgin olive oil before layering the tomato mixture.

Other tools you may need

I have compiled a list of some of my favourite tools for bread baking in general.

Go to my Pinterest board Sourdough Baking Essentials for links to all my baking necessities.

5.2l Fresh Australian Dutch Oven

Amazon Basics Silicone, Non-Stick, Food Safe Baking Mat

Reusable Silicone Baking Mat for Dutch Oven

Sasa Demarle Silpat Premium Non-Stick Silicone Baking Mat

Sourdough Essentials Kit

Recipe Tips

• Unlike most fresh tomato recipes, in this Bruschetta Al Pomodoro, the tomatoes want to be cold. The warm bread and the cold topping makes so much difference! If you want to make and use it ASAP, just try and plan ahead a little and put the tomato mixture into the fridge before plating up.
• Use your very best extra virgin olive oil for this recipe; the difference is fantastic. If you feel like being adventurous, a chilli or herb infused oil can work well here too for extra flavour oompf.
• Tear the basil into small pieces with your fingers as this will help to release the flavour. Cutting it with a knife can make it go black more quickly whereas tearing it helps to preserve the green color.
• If you have time, make the tomato and onion mixture in advance and let it sit in the refrigerator. This will mellow the onion flavor and allow all the other flavors to develop.
• Once the tomatoes have rested, you can drain the liquid away, although we fight over that part in our house! A leftover slice of bruschetta dipped into that juice is AMAZING!

Making Ahead

Although bruschetta doesn’t want to be assembled ahead of time as the bread starts to go soggy, you can make the components a couple of hours beforehand.

Can I toast bread for bruschetta ahead of time

You sure can! Get the bread crisp (with or without char lines) ready in advance. Once cooled, store in an airtight container. 

When you are ready to eat, heat in the oven for 5 minutes, then proceed with the garlic and olive oil steps.

I don’t do it this way, as I would rather use prep time to get the tomato mixture done before hand, and grill the bread last. I find it much tastier that way.

Making the tomato topping for bruschetta ahead of time

You can make the topping for the bruschetta a couple of hours before you want to serve it. Keep it in the refrigerator until you are ready for it. Add a little extra fresh basil and then pile onto the warm breads. 

Or if you are serving these at a party: Arrange the bread on a plate and leave the bowl of tomato ready for people to top the bruschetta themselves. 

Recipe

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Other recipes to try!

Focaccia Au Gratin – the only focaccia recipe you’ll ever need – Life on Milo’s Farm (lifeonmilosfarm.com)

The BEST and most DELICIOUS Sheet Pan Pizza you’ll ever bake! – Life on Milo’s Farm (lifeonmilosfarm.com)

No-knead country bread – Life on Milo’s Farm (lifeonmilosfarm.com)