Tuscany Tomato Bread for Sandwiches, with Meals, and for French Toast

This is an exciting bread, Tuscany Tomato Bread. It's not shy at all. 

You can make fabulous sandwiches with it. It's bold enough that you can load it with meats, spices, peppers, and cheeses. It's a magical bread.

It's a great accompaniment to meals, especially continental food.  It's wonderful for dipping--either in a cheese sauce or olive oil.

This is the bread that you want to explore the wonderful world of savory French toast. With savory French toast, it's no longer for breakfast only but it makes wonderful brunches, lunches, and dinners.

This will change how you eat. We'll give you recipes to get you  started.

I love this bread. Always have. But last year, we started tinkering with it, remodeling it. We took some of the garlic out, it's only a hint in the background now, and we added more tomato for more flavor. It's stunning now.

If you haven't tried it in the last year or so, you ought to.  It will change how you think of artisan breads.

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The Buffalo in Yellowstone Park

I wrote this, the first draft, last year in West Yellowstone, Montana, over a hotel breakfast. It was the end of October and 12 degrees outside. It didn't get above freezing until afternoon.

Merri Ann took this picture high on the Gibbon River in the park. We were trying to fish but bufflo moved us off the river several times and we eventually gave up.

Yellowstone National Park closes at the end of October along with most of the in-town businesses. Some close earlier.

Notice the new snow blanketing the mountain in the background.

We had dinner that night in our favorite restaurant in West Yellowstone. They were ready to close and most of the staff would leave town. Our waitress was going to stick it out and stay in town for the winter.

It’s the only restaurant I know that rents bear spray. And no, the bears aren’t hibernating yet. We saw one on Saturday, out on a sagebrush flat digging up ground squirrels.

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Tuscany French Toast BLT's

This is another Kamie invention. And it’s amazing. She made French toast and then made BLT’s with the French toast.

Over the course of two or three weeks, I ate a whole loaf of Tuscany Tomato Bread. I brought it home from the test kitchen, sliced it, and froze it with waxed paper squares between the slices. Every few days, I dug out a couple slices, and put them in the toaster, and made sandwiches.

Most of my sandwiches were made with deli meat. But I love BLT’s and BLT’s on tomato bread are simply amazing. That’s how I got through a whole loaf.

• 2 Tuscany Tomato bread slices
• 8 slices cooked bacon
• 4 eggs
• 3/4 cup milk (you can use cream if you choose)
• 1/4 cup chives
• 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons flour
• Salt and pepper
• Tomato slices
• Lettuce leaves

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and place bacon on a baking sheet. Cook until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towel.
2. Whisk together eggs, milk, chives, parmesan, and flour. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Soak bread in egg mixture turning once.
4. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the bread until its golden and crisp around edges.
5. To make a sandwich, layer tomato, lettuce, and bacon on your French toast. (I spread mayonnaise on each slice.) You may serve your sandwich open faced.

Oil for dipping bread

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/8 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• Optional: 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese

1. Add garlic and Italian seasoning to shallow dish, and spread out evenly
2. Pour olive oil over garlic and seasoning
3. Drizzle balsamic vinegar on top of olive oil
4. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired.

Other recommended breads:

These recipes work for more than just Italian tomato bread. Here are others to consider:

• Italian Country Bread
• Diego's Jalapeno Cheese Bread
• Salsa Bread

Tuscany Tomato French Toast

I woke up this morning hungry. We were in West Yellowstone and it was bitter cold outside the hotel. My weather app said that it had gotten down to ten degrees overnight.

I love French toast and my mind drifted to the Tuscany Tomato French Toast that we made in our test kitchen. Kamie designed it. It’s a savory French toast made with Tuscany Tomato Bread with roasted tomatoes. It seemed so Mediterranean, a world away.

The picture captures the original recipe. I drizzled it with cheese sauce. But then, I like cheese. Cheese makes everything better. I’ve included a recipe for a cheese sauce but it’s good the way it is.

• Four slices of Tuscany Tomato Bread
• 2 eggs
• 4 tablespoons milk
• Dash salt
• Dash pepper
• Dash Italian seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon butter
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes
• Cooking spray
• Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

1. Heat oven to 400°F
2. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick oil and place the cherry tomatoes on it. Spray the tops of the tomatoes with your oil cooking spray very lightly.
3. Roast in oven for 20 minutes.

To Make the French Toast:

1. Whisk together the eggs and milk.
2. Sprinkle dash of salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning, continue to whisk.
3. Heat up a skillet over medium heat and melt butter in the pan.
4. Dip bread in egg mixture, making sure both sides are coated. Place in pan.
5. Flip when the bottoms of the toast are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes.
6. Serve with roasted cherry tomatoes on top, sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese. (You may drizzle with a cheese sauce if you desire).

 See more of Kamie's recipes.