Depends on the batch size. The recipe itself calls for half a loaf of (preferably) day old bread.
Buy a loaf, eat some of it. Let it sit out. There's one portion. If you want to make multiples of the original recipe, then buy another loaf, stick the previously purchased now-stale loaf in the freezer, and eat some of the fresh loaf. Repeat until you have enough bread in your freezer.
I always have at least a half a loaf of stale bread for preparations like these, or emergency toast.
If you make the soup base in the morning, pull the stale loaves out of the freezer at the same time, they will defrost in a couple of hours, then proceed with the toasting part shortly before serving.
I don't see why you can't make it the day before, just add the bread a few minutes before you serve it. I just looked at the recipe https://food52.com/recipes/23088-gazpacho-panzanella . Good luck , I'm sure it will be good.
The moist crumb of a fresh loaf of bread is the goal of a bread baker. The loaf will naturally dry out and lose that ephemeral quality within days.
I have no problems toasting, grilling or making croutons out of *OLD* bread. I just think doing this to a *FRESH* loaf is really sad and a bit disrespectful for the bread baker's efforts.
In a way, it's like breaking or cutting up a bunch of long noodles. Someone worked really hard to make those long noodles.
Anyhow, do as you wish.
You pay for your groceries, you get to do anything you want with them, even tossing half of them into the trash uneaten, that's what the average American does.
I admit that I do not view food the same way as many others here. That's fine, the food that ends up on my table puts a smile on my face.
I find it hilarious, shameful, and more than a little bit sad that some people today must deliberately damage a perfectly good loaf of fresh bread to make these types of dishes.
Oh well, not how I look to treat ingredients, but different strokes for different folks.
Just leave it out: a day or two should be sufficient.
The main point of panzanella is to use leftover bread from previous days. It's a way to use something that is no longer enjoyable in its current state.
A lot of peasant cooking is based on the reuse of leftovers. A couple of Italian peasant dishes that use stale bread are ribollita and acqua cotta.
11 Comments
Buy a loaf, eat some of it. Let it sit out. There's one portion. If you want to make multiples of the original recipe, then buy another loaf, stick the previously purchased now-stale loaf in the freezer, and eat some of the fresh loaf. Repeat until you have enough bread in your freezer.
I always have at least a half a loaf of stale bread for preparations like these, or emergency toast.
If you make the soup base in the morning, pull the stale loaves out of the freezer at the same time, they will defrost in a couple of hours, then proceed with the toasting part shortly before serving.
I have no problems toasting, grilling or making croutons out of *OLD* bread. I just think doing this to a *FRESH* loaf is really sad and a bit disrespectful for the bread baker's efforts.
In a way, it's like breaking or cutting up a bunch of long noodles. Someone worked really hard to make those long noodles.
Anyhow, do as you wish.
You pay for your groceries, you get to do anything you want with them, even tossing half of them into the trash uneaten, that's what the average American does.
I admit that I do not view food the same way as many others here. That's fine, the food that ends up on my table puts a smile on my face.
Oh well, not how I look to treat ingredients, but different strokes for different folks.
The main point of panzanella is to use leftover bread from previous days. It's a way to use something that is no longer enjoyable in its current state.
A lot of peasant cooking is based on the reuse of leftovers. A couple of Italian peasant dishes that use stale bread are ribollita and acqua cotta.