Panzanella

My friends and I recently went out to The Wine Guy wine bar for dinner. Christie had Panzanella salad and it looked so good! Full of my favorite things, so I knew I had to try it at home. The below recipe is adapted from a Barefoot Contessa recipe I found. It turned out great and was a big hit served with burgers at a recent cookout. The bread is the best part!

Ingredients
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 small French bread cut into 1-inch cubes (6 cups)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 large, ripe tomatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 hothouse cucumber unpeeled, seeded, and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 red onion, cut in 1/2 and thinly sliced
16 ozs of Fresh Mozzarella balls, quartered
20 large basil leaves, coarsely chopped

For the vinaigrette:
1 teaspoon finely minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons White Balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Heat the oil in a large saute pan. Add the bread and salt; cook over low to medium heat, tossing frequently, for 10 minutes, or until nicely browned. Add more oil as needed.
For the vinaigrette, whisk all the ingredients together.
In a large bowl, mix the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, basil, and mozzarella. Add the bread cubes and toss with the vinaigrette. Season liberally with salt and pepper. Serve, or allow the salad to sit for about half an hour for the flavors to blend.