What is bruschetta?  

Thank you ElicBxn! I will have to try it! Have a good day! the picture for the recipe looks very tantalizing!

I love the stuff at Macaroni Grill, not so much at Olive Garden, where theirs is cooked, the Mac Grill stuff is very fresh!

Thank you owlwings for the information on bruschetta! I have not tried it before, and would like to. I wonder if I can just buy it in the store, though. Perhaps in the bakery?

It was interesting to compare the Simply Recipes version with Delia's. They are almost identical except that one uses the (French) baguette and the other uses the Italian ciabatta. Usually a baguette is rather denser (finer holes) than a ciabatta but it depends what you can find in your local speciality store. If you make your own bread, allow it to rise once, knock it back and allow it to rise a second time to at least double the size. Using a 'strong' flour rather than all-purpose will give a higher gluten content which holds the bubbles better.

I like the idea of using a ridged griddle but not everyone has one of those!

You could buy the bread at the store - a French baguette (thicker than a French stick), ciabatta or any oval, cottage-style loaf would do. Lighter textured bread would work better than one with a dense texture and it wouldn't matter at all if it is day-old bread ... much better for toasting, anyway, so look in the 'reduced' basket!

You wouldn't, of course, buy bruschetta in a store though you might find it on the menu at a cafe or sandwich bar.

Well, the right bread for the bruschetta is not the baguette nor the italian ciabatta. And not, obviously, the common "toast" or sandwich bread too.
Bruschetta is a dish that born in the countryside, and the best bread to use is our country bread. Should be toasted on a low wood or charcoal fire, till the bread start to become dark brown/black. Commonly in Italy you can eat the bruschetta in a pizza restaurant.

The meaning of the world bruschetta comes from the dialectal verb abbruscare, (in italian abbrustolire) that means toast. So no french brusque is involved, just an italian word. More, in the Italian culinary tradition the "concept" of quick, brief, snack is unknown. We love eat, and to eat well, we think you should be sitted at a table, with your family or friends, and spend all the time required to have a good meal. The bruschetta is something we eat in the beginning of a pizza meal. Or in the winter evens, when with our friends, we are at home in front of the chimney.

The common italian country bread (even if there exist more than 100 different "country bread" in italy) have a dense texture, and is the best one for a great bruschetta.

More, the most common bruschetta is the one rubbed with garlic and NOT SOAKED UP, but just topped with a veil of EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL. Nobody in Italy would use the olive oil for a bruschetta. There is a big difference between the Extra Virgin olive oil and the olive oil, but I let our expert talk about it.
Bruschetta can also be topped with fresh cubed tomato, italian fresh tomato souce, artichokes cream, mushrooms, olive pate', asparagus cream, several different fresh cheeses, and so on.

I forgot something really important!
The salt!!!!!!