Tomato Bread

By mirandavoegeli

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup plus 1 TBS olive oil
• 1/2 loaf chewy Italian-style bread, fresh or day old, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Small bunch fresh basil
• 3 ripe juicy tomatoes (1 – 1 1/4 lbs), sliced 3/8 inch thick
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp thyme (or 1 TBS oregano)

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 400˚. Spread 1 TBS olive oil on the bottom of a gratin dish about 8 x 10 inches in size. Cut crusts off the bread and slice into rough pieces of about 2 x 2 inches. Fit the bread into a tight mosaic in the bottom of the dish to create a single layer of bread with no spaces. Drizzle with another 2 TBS olive oil and sprinkle with garlic. Tear basil leaves over the bread. Arrange the tomatoes in rows, overlapping them so they all fit. Drizzle with remaining 2 TBS olive oil and sprinkle with salt and thyme. Bake 25-30 minutes. It’s done when the underside of the bread is lightly toasted with you lift a corner to peek. Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes and serve it warm, scooped from the dish with a large spoon.