Ciabatta - Free and Easy Bake Along #20

This week we all baked Ciabatta in Bake Along event together with Joyce, Zoe and Lena. Ciabatta is a very famous Italian white bread. Ciabatta means slipper, that is why their shape slightly oblong and flat.

 Adapted Ciabatta recipe from here No knead Ciabatta Bread video clip from Youtube. The method is fast and no bread mixer or stand mixer is needed.

There's no poolish or biga fermented process either. This recipe is so easy and that's it. I combine all the ingredients together overnight at least 15-18hours. The dough will doubled the size or even more. Causion: The mix dough is very wet and sticky. This is a good sign actually.

The next evening right after work, I went to check my sticky dough out. Looks good to me. Then is about time for just a lil bit of stretching and shaping process. Tell you it is hard to shape the bread cos the dough is very soft, sticky and bouncy. After shaping, I sprinkle Chia seeds and some dried Oregano on top my Ciabatta - slipper bread. I also sprinkle some flour on top just like other Bake Along members did. I set aside and covered with a tea towel and rest again for about 45mins - 1 hour before baking it.

I got tips from Anna Olsen that she sprayed quite alot of water on the Ciabatta surface before baking. Beside to keep the bread moist and also encouraged to create a crust outside of the bread.

Yeah, like this one! See the crust outside? Knock Knock!!! Every steps that I followed goes quite well and when my Ciabatta bread came out freshly from the oven, it looks so gorgeous to me. The crust is there, the look is alike slipper and what I worried was the big holes. Will my ciabatta made that? So nervous and slowly cut the bread into half.

So what you guys think of my Ciabatta? Isn't it a great? I was so happy to see big and small holes inside. Crusty crumb outside and soft inside. This is my first try and nearly/almost made a successful bread together with other Bake Along challenge members. Somehow my Ciabatta bread has ruin with my wrong measurement of salt. *FAINT* I guess I add too much salt, Aiksss! If I have chance again, I'll try it one more time. Well, this bread taste good too with salty goodness. My son request me to make him a bowl of instant mushroom soup to dip with Ciabatta. He is so enjoying.....

Next, will be baking a Fresh Strawberry Cake with White Chocolate Chips taken from Cake Keeper Cakes page 21 for our next bake along on Mar 27, 2012. If time permits, I'll join and bake again. :D