Italian Bread Salad and Tomatoes and Basil

This is another Willams-Sonoma recipe.  Use a good, crusty bread rustic bread for this recipe, the coarser the better. 

1 small loaf country style bread, 1/2 lbs a few days old is best
1 cup water
6 ripe tomatoes, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch diced pieces
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cucumber, peeled, halved and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup basil leaves, rinsed and roughly torn
1 cup Balsamic Red Wine Dressing (see yesterday's post)

1. Cut the bread into 1 inch slices.  Place in a large shallow container and pour the water evening over the slices.  Let stand for 1 minute.  Carefully squeeze the bread between your hands until dry.  Tear the bread into rough pieces and spread out onto paper towels to dry. 
2. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, cucumber, garlic, basil and bread.  Toss together to mix well.  Add the dressing and toss again until evenly distributed.  Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.