Cherry and Peach Panzanella

5 from 9 votes

Cherry and Peach Panzanella with torn ciabatta croutons, ripe stone fruit, creamy burrata, and a honey champagne vinaigrette. The ultimate summer salad in 20 minutes.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Side Dish, Dinner

Cuisine: Italian

Servings: people

Author: Gaby Dalkin

Ingredients

12 ounces burrata cheese
2 nectarines cut into wedges
2 plums cut into wedges
2 peaches cut into wedges
1 cup red cherries pitted and halved
1 cup rainier cherries pitted and halved
Flaky sea salt + freshly cracked black pepper
Basil for garnish

For the torn croutons

¼ loaf ciabatta bread
olive oil

For the Champagne Vinaigrette

2 cloves garlic finely chopped
¼ cup champagne vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

To make the croutons:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Spread the torn ciabatta pieces on a baking sheet and drizzle generously with olive oil. Season with a pinch of salt and toss to coat. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until deeply golden and crispy. Set aside.

To make the Champagne Vinaigrette

In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, champagne vinegar, lemon juice, and honey until the honey is fully dissolved. Slowly stream in the olive oil while whisking until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper and adjust to taste.

To assemble

Pit and halve the cherries and let them rest for 15 minutes. In a large bowl or on a large platter, arrange the peaches, nectarines, plums, and cherries. Scatter the croutons throughout. Tear the burrata open by hand and nestle it among the fruit so the creamy center spills out.
Season generously with flaky salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Drizzle the champagne vinaigrette over everything. Top with torn fresh basil leaves and serve immediately at room temperature.

Notes

Use bread that is at least one day old. Fresh bread turns to mush the moment it hits the vinaigrette. Stale bread has lost enough moisture to soak up the dressing while holding its structure and giving you that signature chewy-crisp bite.
Tear the bread by hand, do not slice it. Torn bread has jagged, porous edges that create more surface area for the olive oil to coat and the dressing to absorb. Sliced bread gives you smooth edges that toast unevenly and soak up less flavor.
Toast the croutons at 425 degrees F until deeply golden, not just lightly colored. A pale crouton will go soggy in minutes once dressed. A deeply toasted crouton has a sealed exterior that stays crisp longer and adds real textural contrast to the soft fruit.
Dress the croutons with olive oil before toasting, not after. Pre-toasting the bread in olive oil allows the fat to penetrate the bread as it crisps, creating a richer flavor and a more uniform crunch than drizzling oil on finished croutons.
Pit and halve the cherries at least 15 minutes before assembling. Allowing cut cherries to rest releases their juices, which mingle with the vinaigrette and add a natural sweetness to the overall dressing without any extra effort.
Choose peaches and nectarines that yield slightly to pressure. Underripe stone fruit is starchy and bland and will not release the juices that make this salad sing. Perfectly ripe fruit breaks down just enough when dressed to create a saucy, cohesive base for the bread to absorb.
Whisk the honey into the champagne vinegar before adding the olive oil. Honey is thick and resists emulsification. Dissolving it in the acid first ensures it disperses evenly throughout the vinaigrette so every bite gets balanced sweetness rather than an occasional clump.
Add the croutons to the salad no more than 10 minutes before serving. Panzanella is a balancing act between soaked and crisp. Adding bread too early tips it into soggy territory. A short 10-minute rest gives the bread time to absorb flavor while keeping some chew.
Tear the burrata open rather than slicing it. Burrata has a liquid cream center that spills out when torn, acting as an additional creamy dressing for the fruit and bread around it. Slicing it keeps that cream trapped and wastes its best quality.
Tear basil leaves by hand immediately before serving. A knife bruises and oxidizes basil along the cut edge, turning it black within minutes. Hand-tearing ruptures fewer cells, preserving the bright green color and fresh aroma through plating.
Season the assembled salad with Maldon salt at the very end, not just in the vinaigrette. Flaky finishing salt dissolves more slowly than fine salt, delivering bursts of seasoning as you eat rather than a uniformly salty background. It also adds a light crunch that contrasts beautifully with the soft fruit and cheese.
Serve the panzanella at room temperature, not cold from the refrigerator. Cold temperatures mute the aromatic compounds in ripe fruit and dull the flavor of a good olive oil. Room temperature fruit releases more volatile flavor molecules, making the whole salad taste more vibrant and intensely fruity.

Nutrition (estimated)