Tuscan Bread

One thing I particularly enjoyed in Tuscany is the bread. Unlike most breads, traditional Tuscan bread is made without salt. This makes for what some people describe as bland bread, but I like it because the lack of salt lets the yeast flavour shine through and forms a gentle backdrop for other ingredients that are served along with the bread. The omission of salt in this bread also allows it to go stale or dry out before it gets moldy.

Of course bread, nor other ingredients, rarely goes to waste. Stale bread is used in salads, soups and appetizers. One of my favourite ways of using day old bread is for crostini. The simplest of which is crostini with garlic: lightly toast 1 cm thick slices of day old Tuscan bread (on a grill or in the oven). Peel a clove of garlic and gently rub it on one side of the toast. Liberally drizzle with good extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.

You can also top crostini with chicken liver pate