Master Class:
SENSATIONAL BREAD SALADS
When was the last time you had a truly sensational summer salad? Well, you're about to.
Why You're Going to Love This Recipe
Even if it wasn't peak salad season, you could eat a big, healthy salad like this almost every day. The fact that it is summer, and there's an embarrassment of riches to work with right now, should provide you with all the incentive you need to get in the kitchen and make this today. Once they're gone, you won't see tomatoes - one of the stars here - this good for another nine long months. (Fear not; I'll tell you how to make the best winter version of this recipe, too.) Delicious? All those delicious veggie juices are soaked up by the bread, so the flavor is out of this world.
The Game Plan
This hearty salad IS the meal, not part of the meal. With a simple sleight of hand it would be the perfect choice for meat eaters, vegetarians, or even gluten-free eaters. (Simply substitute a favorite gluten-free loaf of bread.) Buy your bread when within three days of preparing the salad. (See the first video, below.) If you're a bread baker, consider making this with my Rosemary Potato Focaccia, one of my favorite bread recipes of all time. (See downloads.) Choose top quality veggies worthy of being served raw and prepare them up to 2 hours ahead, but no longer. You don't want them to lose their fresh edge. If you want to serve this twice in one week, divide the prepared veggies in half and only mix with half of the bread. Mix the remaining veggies and bread shortly before the subsequent serving. For dessert, serve fresh fruit or berries with a little cream or vanilla custard sauce. (See recipe downloads.)
Our Recipe by the Numbers
Making the croutons takes about 15 minutes hands on time followed by a short unsupervised toasting in the oven. It will take about 30 minutes to prep the vegetables, which you can do while the bread toasts. The base recipe makes 4 servings, but can easily feed six if you use an additional small handful of each ingredient, to taste.
Your Clear Path to Recipe Success
Choose Your Bread
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Chop Your Veggies
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Toss It All Together
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Watch It: Step-by-Step Video Instructions
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The Variations
Bread Salad with Chicken and Purple Basil
A lovely way to use up that roast chicken you have in the fridge. Cut the chicken into bite size strips, toss it with some of the dressing, and then toss in with the other ingredients or lay strips on top of each salad.
Bread Salad with Tuna and Nicoise Olives
Use a good quality, fruity olive oil and extra garlic. Toss some of the dressing in with the tuna; use an oil packed tuna of the highest quality. Finely dice sun-dried tomatoes and use them for garnish.
Basic Bread Salad Recipe
1 loaf bread
3 tomatoes
1/2 cup basil
2 green onions
Cut the bread into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and combine with the tomatoes.
Cut the bread into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and combine with the tomatoes.
Cut the bread into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and combine with the tomatoes.
Cut the bread into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and combine with the tomatoes.
Cut the bread into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and combine with the tomatoes.
Cut the bread into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and combine with the tomatoes.
Cut the bread into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and combine with the tomatoes.
Cut the bread into large cubes. Cut the tomatoes into large chunks and combine with the tomatoes.
DOWNLOAD THE RECIPE
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Meet This Week's Test Kitchen Crew (rotates)
Inner Circle Members of The Good Cooks Academy are not only our goodwill ambassadors and loudest fans; they're our dedicated test kitchen cooks who prepare and provide feedback on all the recipes that appear here, and provide input on future content. Here's what three of our test kitchen stars had to say about this week's recipe.
Recipes in a Minute
Ken's Weekly Bonus Recipe
Since you're making those crunchy, garlicky croutons anyway, you might as well set some aside for an easy weekday dinner. Ken shows you how.
News and Notes
-Next month we'll be cooking with winter squashes. Drop me a line and let me know about your favorites.
-What's your favorite tip for handling garlic? Do you smash cloves with the side of your knife? Do you dislike handling it and buy prepared garlic? We'll be taking a closer look at garlic in October.
-Our webinar on harvest baking, covering some of Ken's favorite fresh vegetable galettes, is scheduled for October 21st. Be sure to watch for the email with the time, date and login link.
-Do you have a friend who would enjoy being a member of The Good Cooks Academy? If you recommend someone and they sign up, you will receive a free copy of The Harvest Baker from us.
Ready to Join THE GOOD COOKS ACADEMY?
Do you love to cook? Do you want to cook healthier meals, polish kitchen skills, increase confidence, save money, and be part of an active cooking community? Then you should consider joining our community. In addition to detailed weekly great content and great recipes like you see here, we have a number of members-only perks and content, including our video library, regular members-only webinars and online meetings, our own Facebook-style community feature, and - starting in 2020 - cooking getaways in different parts of the country. Click the button below to find out more.
Video
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