Simple Crostini Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep crostini from getting hard? ›

Hard crostini can hurt the roof of your mouth, plus they crumble too easily, falling apart at the first bite. To avoid hard crostini, don't overcook the bread slices. They should be crisp on the outside edges but still just slightly tender in the middle.

The bread can be toasted a few hours in advance of serving. I would not recommend adding the toppings until 10-15 minutes before serving. This way, the bread won't get soggy from the toppings. If you are planning a party where guests will be arriving at different times, you can always make a crostini bar.

Crostini is usually toasted because the bread is much smaller and thinner than bruschetta. Therefore, not much is required to get the bread to a crispy level. For bruschetta, the main method of choice is grilling. After all, bruschetta is derived from the Italian word meaning “to roast over coals”!

The Best Bread for Crostini

A baguette is ideal for crostini, its small surface area is just the right size for these appetizer toasts. Or use a long Italian loaf. The bread doesn't have to be fresh—you're going to dry it out in the oven—so if you have a day-old baguette use it!

(If you have stale sliced bread you are better off making toast, crostini or bruschetta.) Spread the stale snacks out on a cookie sheet and place in a 350o F oven. Let them bake for about 10 minutes and then remove from the oven and let cool completely. Once cooled the snacks should be crispy and refreshed.

Texture is very important–it shouldn't be too dense. The bread needs to be thin enough to bite, but thick enough to support toppings -1/2-inch thick is just right. Brush olive oil on each piece before toasting it.

A tartine is the French version of an open faced sandwich, pretty much the same thing as a crostini.

Tomatoes – I like to use cherry or grape tomatoes for the bruschetta because they're easier to cut and aren't as watery and fleshy, but feel free to use Roma tomatoes or whatever is ripe in your garden!

Both are Italian words but you may notice that bruschetta is singular and crostini is plural, that's a clue to the way in which they are traditionally served. Bread should be grilled or broiled to some degree of char to be called bruschetta, and it's always heavenly.

Crostini: Meaning "little toasts" in Italian, crostini are small, thin slices of toasted bread, which are usually brushed with olive oil. The word also describes canapés consisting of small slices of toast with a savory topping such as cheese, shrimp, pâté or anchovies.

Why is crostini hard? ›

The crostini should be crispy on top but the inside should be tender. If the oven temperature is too low, the bread slices will bake and become too hard. Too hard to bite politely!

Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place on a baking sheet, and pop it in the oven for 5-10 minutes. In the microwave: Wrap the bread in a damp (not soaking) towel, place it on a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on high for 10 seconds.

A lower oven temperature will help rehydrate the loaf without drying it out. Hold the loaf of bread under a running faucet and cover the exterior in hot or cold water—the temperature doesn't matter. The drier the loaf, the more water you should use.

You could even serve them with a homemade compound butter, baked brie, or a fruit and cheese platter like this burrata with peaches and heirloom tomatoes. Store leftover crostini in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days.