The golden rules for a perfect bruschetta

Crunch. It is the unmistakable sound that reveals the presence of bruschetta at the table. A very simple recipe, made of bread “bruscato” (meaning toasted, according to the dialect of Lazio) tomatoes, oil, garlic and salt.

There are some tricks that can make it delicious and that’s why I want to share with you my golden rules.

1. Choose a homemade, rustic bread, with a firm crumb, to be sliced in wide slices: this way it will welcome and absorb the dressing better. Sandwich bread or baguette will not give you the same result.

2. Prepare the dressing by chopping the tomatoes and letting them sit for 10 to 15 minutes with oil and salt, so that they season well and create a fantastic sauce.

3. Cut slices 2 to 2.5 cm thick: this height will allow you, when toasting the bread, to have a crispy outside and soft inside texture.

4. Baking: in a hot pan with a drop of oil for a couple of minutes. In a 200 degree oven, grill function for 7-8 minutes or in a static oven for 15 minutes (check because every oven is different). Do you have a barbecue grill? Use it to give the bread a special smell!

5. The magic of garlic: I rub a clove of garlic on freshly toasted bread for the most powerful flavor combo.

6. Bruschetta should be cooked and eaten: once the bread is toasted, rubbed with garlic, season it with the previously prepared tomatoes and serve immediately. The risk you take? The longer the dressing and bread stay together, the more moist and soft the crumb will become… and the bruschetta won’t crunch!

7. Use tomatoes in season: cherry, oxheart, plum tomatoes, whatever shape and color you like. And in winter? You can indulge with sun-dried tomatoes, cheeses, grilled vegetables, legume purees. Bruschetta is democratic and gets along with everyone 🙂

And you, how do you prepare your bruschetta?

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