40 Reviews of Ciabatta Bread

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.

From: Debi H

On Jan 3, 2005

Very good - crust was crunchy while the inside was nice and soft. Made this to make meatball sandwiches and they were excellent. Will definitely make again

From: Lynore

On Aug 7, 2003

I live at 7000 feet. Therefore, I usually have to adjust for extra dry air and quick rising. I adjusted the flour by only using 3 even cups. The power went out during step 8 and I had a 2.75 hour rise time. That said, this was the BEST bread I have ever made. My husband is incredibly impressed. I will try again soon with standard rise time.

From: bobo3039

On Oct 8, 2005

I'm not sure what I did wrong as I followed the recipe exactly. My dough was more of a batter and was impossible to handle. I did not resist temptation and I did add more flour just so I could work with the dough. I added slivers of garlic and some coarse salt to the bread before baking. The result tasted good.

From: HollyJane

On Sep 11, 2005

This bread is fabulous! I usually buy ciabatta bread every week, but now I will probably just make this most of the time instead. This makes fabulous sandwiches, toast, French toast, or just bread to dip into olive oil. I made mine into one large loaf instead of two smaller ones. Great recipe--a real keeper!

From: lin1

On Jan 12, 2004

5 stars is not enough!!I make this twice aweek,thanks

From: nate jensen

On Dec 15, 2003

Works and tastes great! Especially good if you use a baking stone (or pizza stone).

From: Chef #249906

On Oct 7, 2005

The bread is wonderful. I had a problem "shaping" the dough into a loaf because the dough is so wet and sticky. I wound up plopping it on the baking sheet and pushing it around a bit to make a loaf.

From: Bogey'sMom

On Nov 21, 2005

I made this without a bread machine and it was so simple to do. The taste is outstanding - my husband said "this bread is insane". This will be a weekly deal in my house.