To make crostini, slice a crusty baguette 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, brush both sides lightly with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake the slices in a single layer at 400°F for 8 to 12 minutes, until the edges are golden and the bread is crisp. Let them cool on the pan, where they keep crisping. If your bread is par-baked, finish it in the oven and let it cool completely before you slice it.
Below: what makes crostini different from bruschetta, which bread to choose, how to start from a par-baked baguette or ciabatta, a thickness and timing chart, how many to plan for a party, how to make them ahead, and toppings for the holidays.
What are crostini, and how are they different from bruschetta?
Crostini means "little crusts" in Italian: small, thin slices of bread brushed with olive oil and baked until they are crunchy all the way through. They are made to be eaten in one or two bites, which is why they are a staple of holiday appetizer tables, under a spread, a slice of cheese or a spoonful of something bright.
Bruschetta is the bigger cousin. The slices are thicker and wider, usually taken from a rustic loaf, grilled or broiled so the outside chars while the inside stays soft, and rubbed with a raw garlic clove. Both words name the toasted bread, not the topping: the chopped tomato and basil mix most Americans call "bruschetta" is simply the most famous thing to put on it. Want something bigger than a crostini? Make a whole loaf of garlic bread.
| Crostini | Bruschetta | |
|---|---|---|
| Bread | Baguette, or ciabatta in smaller pieces | Ciabatta, a sourdough loaf, or a baguette cut long on the bias |
| Thickness | 1/4 to 1/2 inch | About 3/4 inch |
| Cooking | Baked on a sheet pan | Grilled, grill pan or broiler |
| Texture | Crisp through, like a cracker | Crisp and charred outside, soft inside |
| Garlic | Optional | Rubbed on the warm bread, traditionally |
| Best for | Passed appetizers, dips, cheese boards | Juicy toppings eaten with a napkin |
In practice, the line is soft: the same loaf can give you both, and you can use the method below for either one by changing the thickness and the heat.
What is the best bread for crostini?
The best bread for crostini has a thin, crackly crust, an open but even crumb, and almost no sugar or fat, so it dries out crisp instead of turning hard or greasy.
- A baguette is the classic. Its narrow shape gives neat rounds or ovals that hold a topping and fit in one bite.
- Ciabatta gives wider, airier toasts with big holes and a crunchy edge. Halve each slice for crostini, or keep the thick slices whole for bruschetta.
- A sourdough loaf makes sturdy crostini with a gentle tang, good under rich cheeses. Its slices are large, so divide them into strips or squares.
Skip soft sandwich bread, which browns before it dries, and dense multigrain loaves, which stay chewy in the middle. Day-old bread is perfect: it slices cleanly and dries faster.
The baguettes, ciabatta and sourdough loaves mentioned here are all in our par-baked bread collection. Each one has its own baking time, so check its product page before you start.
Starting with a par-baked baguette or ciabatta
Our baguettes and ciabatta ship frozen and par-baked: you finish them in your own oven. For crostini, bake the bread completely first, let it cool, and only then slice it. A warm loaf is still full of steam, and a knife squashes the crumb instead of cutting it.
For a half baguette
Our Parisian half baguettes and Traditional half baguettes bake the same way. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Take the baguette out of the freezer, remove all the packaging, and set it directly on the middle rack, with no baking sheet. Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, then let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes: the bread keeps baking while it rests.
For a ciabatta
Our organic ciabatta needs a lower oven and more time. Preheat to 430°F, unwrap the frozen loaf and place it directly on the middle rack, again with no baking sheet. Bake for 16 to 23 minutes, and let it cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing.
Baker's tip: run a bit of water over the back of the frozen bread just before it goes in the oven. It helps the crust turn crisp without getting too hard. For the cleanest bread slices, let the bread cool all the way to room temperature. Many cooks bake the bread a day ahead, keep it in a bag on the counter, and make the crostini the next day: slightly stale bread is easier to slice and dries faster.
Parisian Half Baguettes, ready for crostini
Par-baked and frozen. Bake at 450°F directly on the rack for 6 to 10 minutes, rest 5 to 10 minutes, cool, then slice. Two per pack; each pack fills one of the 4 to 12 slots in your box.
See the Parisian Half BaguetteHow to make crostini, step by step
This is a general method rather than a fixed recipe, and it works for one full baguette, or two half baguettes. Plan about 1/4 cup of olive oil; for a single half baguette, 2 to 3 tablespoons is enough. The other half of the baguette makes a Paris-style ham and butter sandwich.
- Heat the oven to 400°F and set a rack in the middle. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Slice the cooled bread with a serrated knife, 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Go on a diagonal for longer ovals with more room for toppings, or straight across for small rounds.
- Oil the slices. Lay them in a single layer and brush both sides lightly with extra virgin olive oil. Brush, do not soak: too much oil makes them greasy rather than crisp.
- Season with a pinch of flaky sea salt, and black pepper if you like.
- Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, turning the pan halfway, until the edges are golden and the centers feel dry. Very fine slices can be done at 6 minutes; start checking early.
- Rub with garlic (optional). While they are hot, rub a halved raw garlic clove over each toast. The crisp surface grates it like sandpaper.
- Cool on the pan. Crostini firm up as they cool, so judge the crunch after a few minutes, not straight from the oven. Serve them warm or at room temperature.
Prefer butter? Brush the slices with melted butter instead of oil, or spread herb butter on them after baking, such as the Banner Butter roasted garlic, basil and parsley butter we carry. Butter browns faster than oil, so keep the heat at 375°F to 400°F and watch the last minutes.
How thick, how hot, how long?
Thickness decides the texture; heat decides how fast you get there. These are starting points for a standard home oven. Ovens vary, so look at the color, not only the clock.
| Slice and method | Heat | Time | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1/4 inch, baked | 400°F | 6 to 8 min | Thin and crackly, good for dips |
| 1/2 inch, baked | 400°F | 10 to 12 min | Crisp outside, a little give inside |
| 1/2 inch, baked slowly | 350°F | 12 to 15 min | Evenly dry and pale gold, holds up longest |
| 3/4 inch, under the broiler | High broil | 1 to 2 min per side | Bruschetta: charred edges, soft middle |
| 1/2 inch, air fryer | 350°F | 3 to 5 min | Small batches in a single layer |
The broiler and the air fryer work fast, and bread goes from golden to burnt in seconds there: stay next to them.
Organic Ciabatta for larger toasts and bruschetta
Airy crumb, crunchy edge. Bake at 430°F on the rack for 16 to 23 minutes and cool at least 20 minutes before slicing. Add it to your box.
See the CiabattaHow many crostini do you need for a party?
A simple rule: at 1/2 inch thick, every inch of bread gives about two slices straight across, and slightly fewer on a long diagonal. Measure your bread once and you will know roughly what one baguette yields. Start with one of our baguettes and ficelles from the freezer.
A common rule of thumb for guests: plan about 3 to 4 crostini per person when they sit next to other appetizers, and 6 to 8 per person when they are the main thing to eat before dinner.
| Guests | With other appetizers | As the main appetizer |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | 24 to 32 | 48 to 64 |
| 12 | 36 to 48 | 72 to 96 |
| 20 | 60 to 80 | 120 to 160 |
Bake an extra tray. Plain crostini keep well: serve leftovers with soup the next day, or with a dip like hummus or whipped feta. Crostini also fill out a brunch charcuterie board.
How to make crostini ahead of time and store them
Crostini are one of the easiest appetizers to prepare ahead of a party, as long as the toast and the topping stay apart until the last moment. They are part of our Christmas brunch menu for a crowd.
- Up to a few days ahead: bake the plain crostini, let them cool completely, and store them in an airtight container at room temperature. Do not refrigerate them; the fridge softens them.
- The day of: if they have lost some crunch, warm them at 350°F for 3 to 5 minutes and let them cool again.
- Just before serving: add spreads and toppings. Wet toppings like tomatoes or marinated vegetables go on last, or in a bowl next to the toasts so guests can spoon them on.
If you keep par-baked bread in the freezer, the bread itself is the part you can plan furthest ahead: unopened, it keeps up to 6 months in its sealed packaging. Bake it the day before the party, slice, and toast.
Holiday crostini toppings
For December parties, aim for a mix of creamy, salty and sweet on the same tray, and keep each topping to two or three ingredients so the bread still matters.
- Brie, wild blackberry jam and thyme. Warm the crostini with a slice of brie for 2 to 3 minutes at 350°F, then add a spoonful of our wild blackberry jam and a few thyme leaves.
- Goat cheese, wild blackberry jam and black pepper. Fresh goat cheese, a spoonful of wild blackberry jam and cracked pepper: tangy, sweet and sharp in one bite.
- Whipped ricotta, pear and honey. Ricotta whipped with a pinch of salt and lemon zest, thin pear slices, a drizzle of honey.
- Smoked salmon and crème fraîche. A layer of crème fraîche or cream cheese, a fold of smoked salmon, dill and a squeeze of lemon.
- Prosciutto and fig. Fig jam or a slice of fresh fig, a ribbon of prosciutto, a little arugula.
- Mushrooms and thyme. Mushrooms sautéed in butter with garlic and thyme until browned, with a few shavings of Parmesan.
- Herb butter and radish, the French way. Soft butter, thinly sliced radishes and flaky salt: a toast version of the classic French radis-beurre.
- Tomato and basil bruschetta. Diced tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil and salt, spooned onto thick slices at the last minute. Best when tomatoes are good; in winter, roasted cherry tomatoes taste better than raw ones.
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Questions about making crostini
Is bruschetta a type of crostini?
They are close relatives rather than one inside the other. Both are Italian toasted bread brushed with olive oil, but crostini are small, fine and baked crisp, while bruschetta is thicker, larger, grilled or broiled, and usually rubbed with garlic. For a softer, buttery version, see baguette garlic bread.
How do you make sourdough crostini?
Bake and cool the sourdough loaf, slice it 1/2 inch thick, and divide each slice into strips or squares about 2 inches wide. Brush with olive oil and bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes. Sourdough has a thicker crust, so it may need a minute or two longer than a baguette.
Do you oil both sides of crostini?
Yes, lightly. Oil on both sides gives an even golden color and crunch. If you only oil the top, the bottom dries pale and harder.
Can you make crostini with stale bread?
Yes. Bread that is a day or two old is ideal because it slices neatly and dries quickly. Very hard, several-day-old bread is better for breadcrumbs.
Why are my crostini too hard?
They are usually too thick for the time, or baked too long at a low heat. Slice them finer, bake at 400°F, and take them out when the centers are dry but not yet brown.
Curious how our breads get from the bakery to your freezer and onto your table? Read how it works.