Bruschetta — Italian Grilled Bread with Tomato
Italy's perfect antipasto: thick slices of country bread grilled until charred, rubbed with a raw garlic clove, drizzled with good olive oil, and — in the classic version — heaped with diced ripe tomato and basil. It began as a way to taste new olive oil on toasted bread; the magic is in great bread, great oil and great tomatoes, and almost no cooking.
Dice ripe tomatoes, season with salt and let them drain a few minutes, then toss with torn basil, a little garlic and good olive oil. Grill thick slices of country bread (on a griddle, grill or under a broiler) until charred at the edges. While hot, rub each slice with a cut raw garlic clove and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Spoon the tomato on top just before serving so the bread stays crisp.
- It lives on quality: great bread, great extra virgin olive oil and ripe summer tomatoes.
- Char the bread and rub it with raw garlic while hot — that's the 'bruschetta' (from bruscare, to char).
- Drain the tomatoes and top the bread at the last second so it stays crisp, not soggy.
Equipment
- Griddle, grill or broiler
- Bowl
מצרכים
Topping
- 400 g ripe tomatoes, diced
- Handful basil, torn
- 1 garlic clove, minced (for the topping)
- 30 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Salt; splash of red wine vinegar (optional)
Bread
- 8 thick slices country/sourdough bread
- 1–2 garlic cloves, halved (to rub)
- Extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle
אופן ההכנה
- שלב01
Dice the tomatoes, toss with a little salt, and leave in a sieve or bowl 5–10 minutes to drain off excess juice (so they don't soak the bread).
- שלב02
Toss the drained tomatoes with the torn basil, minced garlic, olive oil and a splash of vinegar if using. Taste for salt.
- שלב03
Grill the bread slices on a hot griddle, grill or under a broiler until charred at the edges and crisp, turning once.
- שלב04
While the bread is hot, rub each slice with a cut raw garlic clove (the rough toast grates the garlic in) and drizzle generously with extra virgin olive oil.
- שלב05
Just before serving, spoon the tomato over the bread and finish with a little more oil. Serve immediately while crisp.
Make ahead
Make the tomato topping a little ahead and keep it draining; grill the bread fresh and assemble at the last moment. Bruschetta doesn't keep once topped — it's a make-to-order antipasto.
Storage
Best assembled and eaten immediately. The grilled bread softens once topped, so don't make it ahead. The tomato topping can sit (drained) for an hour or two; grill the bread and assemble to order.
Variations
Fettunta
The simplest Tuscan version — just charred bread, garlic and new olive oil, no topping.
Other toppings
Top with white beans, sautéed mushrooms, 'nduja, or burrata instead of (or with) tomato.
Bruschetta vs crostini
Bruschetta uses big grilled slices; crostini are smaller toasted rounds — same spirit, different size.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
שאלות נפוצות
How do you pronounce 'bruschetta'?
In Italian it's 'broo-SKET-ta' — the 'sch' is a hard 'k' sound, not 'sh'. The name comes from 'bruscare', meaning to roast or char over coals, which is exactly what you do to the bread.
How do I keep bruschetta from going soggy?
Two things: drain the diced tomatoes (salt them and let the juice run off) before dressing, and top the grilled bread only at the very last moment before serving. The charred, oiled bread should still be crisp when it meets the tomato.
What bread is best for bruschetta?
A sturdy, open-crumbed country or sourdough loaf, cut thick, so it chars on the outside and stays sturdy under the topping. Avoid soft sandwich bread, which collapses. Slightly stale bread grills up especially well.
Do I cook the tomatoes?
No — classic tomato bruschetta uses raw, ripe diced tomatoes dressed with garlic, basil and olive oil. It's essentially a fresh tomato salad on charred bread, so it depends entirely on ripe, flavourful tomatoes and good oil rather than cooking.
What's the difference between bruschetta and crostini?
Mostly size and method: bruschetta is larger slices of bread grilled (often over coals) and rubbed with garlic, while crostini are smaller rounds usually toasted or baked. Both are topped Italian breads served as antipasti; bruschetta is rustic and bigger, crostini daintier.
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