81 Reviews of Ciabatta (Italian Slipper Bread)

From: luvmybge

On May 29, 2002

I've used this exact recipe for a long time now. It's the best bread ever! I got the recipe from an old Gourmet magazine. My loaves bake up fine. I spray water on the hot oven floor to make a nice crust on the bread... and if you don't have a stone.. you can go to your local home improvement center and get unglazed quarry tiles to line your oven rack.

From: s'kat

On Sep 15, 2002

This recipe is incredible! I've never made bread from a starter before, but after this experience an entirely new and heady world of breadmaking has been opened to me at last, at long last!! Every hour it took to rise was worth it. I made each loaf differently. The first was just as the recipe stated. The second I worked in a good amount of olive oil into the dimples, sprinkled some fresh oregano & thyme, and grated Parmiagiano-Reggiano (a good amount) on top. The first loaf had an exquisitely soft top- much softer than I had imagined it would be. But its the taste in this bread that is just incredible. Chewy, yeasty, and filled with that 'just-right' amount of crunch on the bottom. The second loaf was harder on the top, and thusly more crunchy throughout, but just as good as the first. There may be a couple of pieces of bread left from last night- but neither my husband nor myself or talkin' about it!

From: Grease

On Oct 24, 2006

Yahoo!! The first rustic loaf that actually worked for me. I have been trying for a long time to produce a loaf that had a texture with large gas pockets and a rustic flavor. This worked and I think it was due to your incredibly detailed instructions. Wet dough is the key. If you can knead this bread by hand it's too dry and you are going to get the usual Wonder Bread texture, not the open crumb that was intended. Be very careful not to let gas escape from the dough as you handle it. I've baked this dough as torpedoes as well as slippers and it's still great. I also stored the sponge in my refrigerator for 3 days, let it warm for an hour and continued on with no loss of results. The oven spring is awesome to watch! For what it's worth, I have a small cast iron skillet that I put on the floor of the oven while it is preheating. When the loaves go in, I add a half cup of ice cubes which seem to steam up the oven and crisp the crust in the initial few minutes of the bake. Great recipe! Great bread!

From: Annie H

On Jul 25, 2005

I'm going to have to add my 5 starts to this one. This is the first thing that I made on my bread stone and I was not disappointed! The texture was most pleasing, and the color appealing. I wasn't able to mix it for the full 9 minutes as children will not be ignored for 9 seconds, but it turned out wonderful. I didn't cook it for quite the full 20 mins (17-18 mins made it a beautiful dark gold color) It's a very impressive bread to have come out of your oven as it looks very "authentic." UPDATE: I just tried this as a pizza dough. For the first rising, I shaped it very flat by using a spatula to spread it in parchment paper. A little goes a long way toward a thick crust! I put sauce on the raw dough and baked for 5 mins, then added toppings and baked another 6-7 mins. This made the crust a little doughy. Next time, I will spread it very thin and bake it without sauce until it becomes very pale gold, then add sauce and toppings all at once and bake for another 5 mins. My DH is a huge fan of this bread, and said that it was as enjoyable to eat as the toppings, which is a nice change of pace! This is also easier to mix up than some pizza doughs I've tried. It made a wonderful crust, crunchy on the outside, light and fluffy on the inside, with delightful flavor of its own.

From: Lisa Pizza

On May 28, 2002

Hey all- Just an additional note...I'll make the recipe again to be sure, but I doubt the dough rises to double it's size. I thought it was just my cold house, but I think it's just the kinda bread it is and the directions are mis-leading. Even though my loaves only came out to be 2 inches high, they were delicious, and very much like the one's from the store (only better.

From: Bugstomper

On Feb 13, 2003

I made mine in my bread machine on the dough setting,then flopped it out and surprisingly, it wasn't a big deal to get it all out of the pan. Then I added a little more flour,kneaded it a little,formed the 2 loaves,oiled a cookie sheet and baked them and before they were cold, they were gobbled up by DH and myself! I then found another recipe at an Italian cooking site, made it and it's ready to go to the compost pile! Great recipe Lisa,Thanks!

From: RECIPE ADDICT

On Nov 4, 2005

My husband and I both like the new hamburgers that Jack in the Box has, made with Ciabatta bread so I was hoping maybe this recipe might work. It took me some pinching and adding and I came out with 5 good size buns. While they were raising,it looked like they were`nt going to raise enough to make buns that could be cut in half.After I put them in the oven and they were done, they rose like little pillows!, I was so excited. My husband and I enjoyed the BEST hamburgers!, owing it all to the buns. I decided next weekend when we have everyone over for our combined Birthdays that I`m going to bbq hamburgers with these special homemade buns. I`ll also use this recipe for how it was intended, just great bread! Thanks so much for posting this great recipe.

From: Chef #1107125

On Jan 1, 2009

Maybe I did something wrong, but I don't think so... I followed the recipe exactly and the outside of my loaves looked fantastic, but the inside was a huge disappointment. I was expecting a chewy texture with large holes and pockets, and what I ended up with looked pretty much like white bread. To me, that is not ciabatta. Yes this is a good-flavored, "spongy" bread, but the overall texture was wrong. It was too American and nowhere near crusty or chewy enough for me. I probably should have suspected this since many of the photos of this recipe look the same as my finished product. My guess is that the recipe calls for you to overwork the dough... and that will change the texture and make it finer. This was a lot of work for something that wasn't what I had in mind. I'll try a different recipe next time.

From: Rebbieb

On Mar 25, 2003

This was the first recipe I used from this site.. I loveeeee it!!! I always make a double batch..One batch the standard way.. in the second one I use garlic olive oil and I add Italian seasonings..Grated Asaigo cheese..finely chopped pepperoni and soposada.. Yummy...Have also made it with 1/2 whole wheat flour too...Just as wonderful..As a note..Mine always doubles in size!!! Thanks so much for posting this recipe!!!

From: CrystalA

On Feb 1, 2003

O my Goodness! This is simply delicious. I loved the fact that the crust wasnt hard and crusty. I also made one with oil dimples and sprinkled kosher salt on top. The other one I made as you stated and brushed it with oil when it came out of the oven. I also did not have a pizza stone so I used the paper on a cookie sheet. I was so skeptical b/c it was very sticky, but I am so glad I made this. Thanks alot!