Ingredients
Method
Step 1: Toast the Bread
- Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Slice the sourdough and cut it into uniformly square cubes, a bit larger than traditional croutons
- Drizzle with olive oil and toss to lightly coat all pieces. Then, toast until the outside is golden and crisp while the inside remains soft and chewy.
- Set aside to cool completely before layering with the other salad ingredients.
The goal is not croutons. You want little flavor sponges that can soak up and hold some dressing for, but are crispy enough not to turn to mush.
Step 2: Prepare the Produce
- Dice the cucumbers and peaches.
- Halve the tomatoes.
- Stack the basil leaves, roll them tightly, and slice into thin ribbons.
- Combine the cucumbers, tomatoes, peaches, and basil in a large bowl and toss gently.
I like to save some nicely shaped, small, whole leaves for the end. They make a beautiful garnish on top of the finished salad
Step 3: Make the Dressing
- Cut several ripe tomatoes in half and gently squeeze them over a fine mesh strainer to collect the juice.
- In a jar or bowl, combine:
- 1/2 cup tomato juice
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- Whisk or shake until well combined.
- Taste and adjust if needed.
Step 4: Dress the Bread
- Place the toasted bread cubes in a separate bowl.
- Add just enough dressing to lightly coat the toasted sourdough. Don't soak the bread. A light coating keeps the bread flavorful while helping it maintain its texture for days.
It’s optional, but at this point, I like to sprinkle the dressed bread with just a bit of flaky sea salt. It just helps bump up all the flavors of the assembled salad.
Step 5: Assemble the Salad
- Rather than tossing everything together, build the salad in layers.
- In a large serving bowl:
- Add a layer of dressed bread
- Add a layer of cucumber, tomato, peach, and basil mixture
- Sprinkle on some mozzarella
- Repeat until everything has been used.
This layering method helps keep the salad light, beautiful, and evenly distributed without becoming a soggy mess.
Notes
Notes:
- I like to use boule sourdough bread for this recipe; day old loaves works well, but unlike crostini, you want the bread to be fairly fresh so it stays soft enough in the center while toasting on the outside.
- I like to cut the bread into slices and then into cubes one at a time to maintain consistency in size. I goal for pieces about 3/4" square.
- Use just ripe peaches (not overly ripe ones as they will quickly turn to mush in your salad). Perfect peaches add incredible sweetness and balance to the dish—especially in contrast to the balsamic vinegar in the dressing.
- Don't skip dressing the bread separately — I do sometimes dress individual portions of the salad all together but only if I am serving it immediately, usually if I've packed it for a work-day lunch.
- Slightly under-toast the bread rather than over-toast it — again, you don't want croutons.
- Layer the ingredients instead of aggressively tossing. This is key
- If making ahead, keep the bread separate until serving. Then, dress bread & assemble