Bruschetta is toast. Usually with olive oil. Often grilled. But no more than that—or not much more. You need coarse, crusty bread; the preceding recipe will give you the kind you want, but any peasant bread will do. The amount of garlic you use is up to you. You might split a single clove and rub it on the slices of bread after they’re toasted; or you might mash a few cloves and smear them on, which is obviously stronger.

　　

Ingredients

4 servings

　　8 thick slices coarse bread

　　1 to 4 garlic cloves, halved or peeled and crushed, to taste

　　Extra virgin olive oil as needed

　　Salt and black pepper to taste

　　

Step 1

Preheat the broiler or start a charcoal or wood fire. Broil or grill the bread until lightly browned on both sides. This may take less than a minute on a side; watch carefully so the bread doesn’t burn.

　　

Step 2

While it’s still hot, rub the bread with the garlic on one or both sides. Put it on a plate, then drizzle it with olive oil and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Serve warm.

　　The Best Recipes in the World by Mark Bittman. © 2005 by Mark Bittman. Published by Broadway Books. All Rights Reserved.MARK BITTMAN is the author of the blockbuster The Best Recipes in the World (Broadway, 2005) and the classic bestseller How to Cook Everything, which has sold more than one million copies. He is also the coauthor, with Jean-Georges Vongerichten, of Simple to Spectacular and Jean-Georges: Cooking at Home with a Four-Star Chef. Mr. Bittman is a prolific writer, makes frequent appearances on radio and television, and is the host of The Best Recipes in the World, a 13-part series on public television. He lives in New York and Connecticut.