A Bowl of Tomato Bread Soup

Put the end of a loaf on the cutting board and look at the part that has gone dry. There is usually plenty of good bread inside. It may be too hard to make a sandwich, yet the dense edge is useful in a pot of soup. Simmer it with tomatoes and a little broth, and the crumb loosens into the liquid. The crust takes longer to soften and can be kept aside to toast. That leaves two very different textures from a piece of bread that seemed to have only one use left.

This tomato soup has no blender step. The consistency comes from tearing the bread small and letting the pot settle for a few minutes before serving. There should be a little tomato around the bread on each spoonful. If the result looks more like a plate of mashed potatoes than a soup, thin it with a little hot water and let it come back to a simmer. If the tomato is still watery, give the bread another minute. How much difference a single handful makes depends on the loaf.

Set out a can of tomatoes and some good bread

For four modest bowls, use one 800 gram can of whole peeled or crushed tomatoes, 120 grams of stale plain bread, one medium onion, two garlic cloves, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1½ cups unsalted vegetable broth, and ½ teaspoon fine salt to start. Keep a cup of hot water nearby for adjustments. For the top, use a few leaves of basil or a small handful of parsley and a little more olive oil. If the bread has a substantial crust, reserve a small part for the finish. A spoonful of finely grated hard cheese is optional. If you have a piece of cheese rind you normally use in soups, add it with the broth and lift it out before the bread goes in. Taste before you salt again.

Look for plain bread with a springy interior and enough structure to break into irregular pieces. A country loaf, a small sourdough, or part of a baguette will work. A very soft sandwich loaf gives a smoother soup and can turn pasty if too much goes in. Begin with half the amount if that is what you have. Heavily seeded bread leaves seeds throughout the finished pot. That is pleasant if you like the flavor of the loaf with tomato. A sweet loaf may make the soup taste noticeably sweeter. Taste a piece before using it.

Use dry or stale bread in good condition. Discard a moldy loaf rather than trimming off the visible area. Tear the interior of the bread into bite-size pieces. It is easy to reduce their size later with the back of a spoon. Put any hard crust aside. Some people like larger pieces with a little chew, and you can add a few in the last minutes of cooking. For a mostly smooth soup, hold them all back and turn them into toasts. If the bread is fresh, dry the torn pieces in a low oven until their surfaces feel firm. The center can stay soft.

Build the tomato base gently

Peel and dice the onion. The pieces should be small enough to soften into the soup without disappearing entirely. Slice the garlic thinly. Heat the two tablespoons of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and a little of the salt. Cook, stirring, until the pieces look translucent and their sharp smell has softened, about six to eight minutes. Lower the heat if the onion begins to brown at the edges before the middle is tender. For this soup, a light gold is enough. Dark onion can be delicious in a different pot, but it tends to dominate canned tomato.

Add the sliced garlic and stir for about half a minute. Pour in the tomatoes and their juice. Crush whole tomatoes against the side with a wooden spoon. A few larger pieces make the soup easier to recognize when you serve it. Stir in the broth and bring the pot to a gentle simmer. Leave it uncovered for about fifteen minutes. A wide saucepan loses water faster than a narrow one. Look at the surface after ten minutes. When the bubbles are rising in thick red pools rather than in clear water around the tomato, the soup is ready for a first taste.

In summer you can use about a kilogram of ripe fresh tomatoes in place of the can. Cut them in half across the middle and grate them into a bowl, using the large holes of a box grater and keeping the skin against your palm as the flesh wears away. Discard the skin before it slips through the grater. Simmer the grated fruit before adding all the broth. Some tomatoes are so juicy that a cup of broth will be enough. Add more only after you see how much liquid remains around the soft tomato.

Taste for salt before reaching for any additional ingredients. Some canned tomatoes contain more salt than others. If you used a broth that already tasted well seasoned, the pot may need only a little. A very tart tomato can be softened by the bread and olive oil, so reserve judgment until both are in. If the tomato tastes flat instead of tart, give it a little more salt and simmer a few minutes longer. Thin tomato puree from the can can seem watery until its raw aroma fades. The bread will absorb some liquid, but it will not fix an underseasoned base by itself.

Add the bread in two passes

Put about two thirds of the torn bread into the simmering pot and stir it through. Keep the heat low enough that the soup bubbles quietly. After five minutes, lift a spoonful and press a larger piece against the side. The center should be soft. If it is still dry and bright white inside, give the pieces a couple more minutes before adding the rest. Turn them over so every part touches the liquid. Stop to check the bottom with the spoon. Once the soup has thickened, it can catch where the burner is hottest.

Add the rest of the bread a small handful at a time. The soup should still move when stirred, although it may leave a trail for a second. In a few minutes, bread that seemed to have disappeared often makes the whole pot thicker. If you want a brothier bowl, stop early and toast the remaining bread. If you want something almost thick enough to eat with a fork, add a little more and stir it against the side. A thick batch is especially good with a green salad because the salad gives you a break from the soft texture.

Turn the heat off and let the soup rest for five minutes. Check the texture again. Add hot water a couple of tablespoons at a time if the soup has tightened too much. Return it to low heat long enough for the liquid to mingle. A few drops of olive oil on the spoon will give you a better sense of the finished seasoning than a taste from the pot before it rests. If it needs brightness, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar is enough to start. If it needs more depth, add salt in small pinches and give the pot a minute between tastes.

Make the reserved crust earn its place

Cut the firm crust into short strips or rough cubes. Warm a teaspoon of olive oil in a skillet and turn the pieces until they take some color. If they are very dry, use moderate heat so they can toast without burning at the edges. Taste one before salting them. Bread often already carries enough salt. A warm crust can be rubbed lightly with the cut side of a garlic clove and then torn over the bowl. The garlic stays on the topping, where its flavor is easier to adjust than it would be in the whole pot.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls and tear the basil over them. Add a few toasted crust pieces and a thin line of olive oil. Put the rest of the toast on a plate so it stays crisp. Grated cheese makes the soup richer and saltier. Start with a little and see whether you want more. If the soup has thickened enough to support a topping, a few cooked white beans or pieces of roasted pepper sit well on it. Keep the herbs at the surface. Their scent is easier to notice in the first bites when they have just been torn.

If you know part of the pot is for another meal, take that portion out before adding the bread and chill it promptly in a shallow container. You can reheat the base and finish it with fresh torn pieces the next day. If the bread is already in the soup, add water before reheating because the crumb keeps absorbing liquid as the pot sits. A spoonful of the thick leftover soup is also good spread on toast under grated cheese. The crust saved from the first loaf may be gone by then. Any fresh toast will do.