1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Brush bread slices with 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and toast in oven until crisp and lightly browned (about 10 minutes).

2. Dice tomatoes and bell peppers into 1-inch cubes. In a 4-quart bowl toss together tomatoes, bell peppers, remaining olive oil, onion, garlic, black olives, vinegar, salt, basil, and pepper.

3. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside to marinate 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 3 hours in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature to serve.

4. About 1 hour before serving, break toasted bread into roughly 1-inch cubes. Toss with marinated vegetables. Transfer to a serving bowl; set aside until ready to serve.

Italian bread. Substitute crunchy red bell peppers when tomatoes are out of season.