Ciabatta Bread

From: A Cook in Illinois

On Jul 9, 2008

This makes a flat loaf of bread..I wouldn't call it a loaf. It is tasty and easy but I'd rather do some work and make bread that looks like bread. I've purchased chiabatt many times that actually looks a lot like a loaf of Itallian Bread. This is not it. If you want a bread to serve with dip or cut open or to make buns with maybe it would be fine. It was not what I wanted.

From: Chef Joey Z.

On Apr 21, 2008

I love this recipe. It was so darn easy. I used my breadman bread machine. I used one pan for both loaves and spritzed them with water every 5 minutes. I plan to make this again. Thanks for the simple recipe Trish!

From: Eadaein

On Dec 17, 2005

I wanted to clear some things up on this bread for those who have never made it before. The batter will be VERY wet, it is tricky to handle, for it to bake the way Ciabatta should do not treat it like other breads, you need the wet dough, do not add flour to it, also avoid overhandling the dough, after its rise you need to handle it with a very light touch (like a baby as they say in Italy) so that those precious air bubbles we worked so hard to get dont break. Ok, so you handle it carefully, with well floured hands you pull and stretch the dough into a rough rectangular shape, dust the loaf and your hands with flour again, then neaten and plumpen the dough with your fingers tucking the sides under to create a fairly tidy appearance. I will post a pic (making this again tomorrow) of the dough in its uncookes phase so everyone can see how it looks. If you have never made this before it can be unnerving LOL. So, wrinkled, messy, lumpy flat looking dough that is sticky and unmanageable is normal, dont worry! ;p

From: Marie

On Dec 7, 2004

Just took this bread out of the oven and snitched a piece. WOW! It is so crusty on the outside and soft on the inside. I could have used a little better directions on how to shape the bread. I covered the dough with plastic wrap for the rising and when I tried to remove it, the plastic stuck to the bread. I will spray the plastic with non stick spray next time. I am still giving it 5 stars because it is so delicious! Will definitely make again. Thanks so much for posting this super recipe, Tish.