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It’s peak tomato season, which means it’s also bruschetta season! By bruschetta, I mean the Americanized version of authentic Italian bruschetta, featuring ripe red tomatoes, basil and garlic on golden, toasted French bread.

That’s the only way I’ve known bruschetta to be. I like to finish my bruschetta with a light drizzle of thick balsamic vinegar, for flavor and beauty bonus points. It punctuates the end result with irresistible tanginess.

Bruschetta is the perfect appetizer for summer parties. In fact, I only make bruschetta during the summertime, since ripe tomatoes are the number one key to making great bruschetta.

At its best, bruschetta is light and crisp, covered in deep red tomatoes and full of fresh flavor. At its worst, bruschetta is soggy, pink and flavorless.

Let’s boycott sad bruschetta! I’m sharing all my tips in this post. Ready to make the best bruschetta you’ve ever had?

American vs. Italian Bruschetta

Real-deal Italian bruschetta is made of grilled bread rubbed with garlic, topped with olive oil and salt. Italian toppings vary, and I’m eager to come up with some fun alternatives.

Did you know that the “ch” in bruschetta is pronounced as a “k” sound? Brew-sket-tah. It’s true. Ask an Italian.

For this American bruschetta recipe, we’ll be using oven-roasted bread since it’s easier to make. You can grill your bread if you prefer some smoky flavor, though. I’ve provided instructions in the recipe notes.

We’ll stir some fresh garlic into the topping mixture, so it’s nice and garlicky but not overwhelmingly so. We’ll forego rubbing the bread with garlic, since I tried the end results with and without and couldn’t taste the difference. The garlic in the toppings is plenty.

Bruschetta Ingredients

Bruschetta is really simple to make with basic ingredients. The only tedious part is dicing the tomatoes, but it goes by quickly if you have good company or good music. Here’s what you’ll need:

1. Ripe Tomatoes: Any variety will do. Use the best tomatoes you can find. I included a few yellow cherry tomatoes to make my bruschetta extra colorful.
2. White Onion: You won’t find onion in every bruschetta recipe, but it adds a light crunch and additional flavor. With onion, you don’t have to overload your bruschetta topping with garlic to make it taste amazing.
3. Fresh Basil: Only fresh will do. You’ll want to use a big handful, whether it’s from your garden or the store.
4. Garlic: Not so much that your guests are embarrassed by their garlic breath! Use fresh garlic, pressed in a garlic press or minced by hand. Jarred garlic is just not the same.
5. Crusty Baguette: Look for a slender loaf of crusty bread. We’ll bake it until it’s so crisp, it shatters when you bite into it. Delicious.
6. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: We’ll brush the bread lightly with oil before toasting it, and we’ll stir some into the tomato mixture for richness.
7. Thick balsamic vinegar: More on this below.

How to Make the Best Bruschetta

Use ripe tomatoes.

I know I just said this, but it bears repeating. Tomato bruschetta will always be best served during the summertime, but you can probably get by with cherry tomatoes in other seasons. I find cherry tomatoes to be the most consistent of all tomatoes.

Drain off excess tomato juice.

Most tomatoes (cherry tomatoes excluded) are quite juicy. When you toss diced tomato with salt, the juice exits the tomatoes, and you can end up with a watery bowl of tomatoes.

We don’t want soggy bruschetta, so pour off the excess juice before seasoning it at the end. This doesn’t take any extra time, and produces a more flavorful and consistent end result.

Brush both sides of bread with oil.

Oiling the bread ensures that both sides are golden brown and crispy (think of the difference between plain toast and homemade croutons). The oil also helps repel tomato juice so your toasts stay crisp.

Toast at 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

High heat yields extra crispy toasts, which is what we’re going for. I’ll never suggest broiling bread because broilers vary considerably from oven to oven, and no one wants to light their toast on fire. Right?

Serve promptly.

Wait to assemble your bruschetta until you’re ready to serve, because tomato-topped bread will inevitably soften as time goes on. You could make the tomato mixture up to two days in advance, and the toasts a couple of hours in advance.

Balsamic Vinegar Notes

Here’s the deal: You don’t have to top your bruschetta with balsamic vinegar, but I really love the irresistible tang that good balsamic vinegar provides.

For a beautiful drizzle, use high-quality, thick balsamic vinegar. I don’t recommend using run-of-the-mill, runny balsamic because it pours rather than drizzles. You could stir some runny balsamic into your tomato mixture, but it will turn the tomatoes lightly brown and will make the flavor more uniform.

I love Napa Valley Naturals’ Grand Reserve Vinegar—it’s about $9 at well-stocked grocery stores like Whole Foods. Make sure you get the bottle with “25 stars” on it. It’s one of my go-to ingredients, and it makes the best simple salad dressing (light drizzle of balsamic, drizzle of olive oil, plus a pinch of salt).

Another easy store-bought option would be a balsamic glaze/reduction. DeLallo and Alessi make them.

Or, make your own balsamic reduction with regular runny balsamic. Bring 1 cup (or more) to a boil in a small, thick bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook, stirring often, until the vinegar is reduced by half, about 10 to 15 minutes. Allow the reduction to cool, then transfer to an air-tight jar and store in the pantry.

Have a tomato surplus? Lucky you! Here are a few more fresh tomato recipes:

Please let me know how your bruschetta turns out in the comments. I hope it becomes your go-to summer party appetizer.

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