Pappa al Pomodoro
This is a dish born from the necessity of using up stale loaves. It is less a recipe of precise measurements and more an exercise in texture, transforming hard bread into a warming, spoonable meal.
Use the right bread
Find a rustic, unsalted loaf with a thick crust. If you use soft grocery store bread, it will dissolve into paste rather than holding its structure.
- Heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven
- Wooden spoon
- Bread knife
What goes in.
- 1 lbstale, unsalted Tuscan-style bread, sliced into 1-inch chunks
- 28 ozcanned whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 4 cupshot vegetable or light chicken stock
- 1/2 cupextra virgin olive oil
- 4 clovesgarlic, smashed
- 1 smallbunch of fresh basil leaves
- to tastekosher salt and black pepper
Emulsifying the starch
After the bread sits in the hot liquid, use your wooden spoon to aggressively beat the mixture; you want the bread to release its starches and thicken the broth into a creamy, cohesive base.
The method.
Infuse the oil
Heat the olive oil in your pot over medium heat. Add the smashed garlic and cook until it is golden and fragrant, then remove and discard the garlic cloves.
Build the tomato base
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and season with salt. Simmer for 15 minutes until the tomato water evaporates slightly and the color deepens.
Add the bread
Stir in the bread chunks. Pour in just enough hot stock to cover the bread. Lower the heat to a whisper and cover the pot.
Stew and thicken
Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the pot looks dry, add more stock. If it looks watery, keep the lid off for the last 10 minutes.
Finish
Turn off the heat. Stir in the torn basil leaves and a final generous pour of fresh olive oil. Let it sit for 20 minutes before serving; the texture will be better at room temperature than boiling hot.
Other turns to take.
Spiced
Add a pinch of red chili flakes to the oil when sautéing the garlic.
Deepened
Sauté a finely diced red onion along with the garlic for added sweetness.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the bread is truly rock-hard, toast the pieces in the oven for five minutes before starting to help them absorb the liquid.
Never use a blender or food processor to rush the process; the texture relies on the bread chunks remaining visible but soft.
The quality of the olive oil at the end is the defining factor of the final flavor; use your best cold-pressed oil.
The ones that keep coming up.
Can I serve this cold?
Yes, it is often served at room temperature in the summer, which allows the garlic and basil flavors to settle.
What if my bread is soft?
Spread it on a tray and leave it out for a day, or dry it in a 300°F oven until it feels like a crouton.
How real cooks make it.
No one’s shared their version yet. Be the first to put your kitchen on the map.
Cook this your way?
Share your version — your steps, your story. We’ll feature it right here.
Add your recipe