“I feast on wine and bread, and feasts they are” – Michelangelo
As ‘ciabatta bread’ continues to be the #1 search term via which people stumble onto TriniGourmet.com I thought I’d dig up some more information about this increasingly popular bread! 
If you are in a rush for a recipe – click here to see my step by step illustrated tutorial!
From Wikipedia:
Ciabatta is an Italian white bread made with wheat flour and yeast. The loaf is somewhat elongated, broad and flattish: in Italian ciabatta means ?¢‚ǨÀúslipper?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢. Since the late 1990s it has been popular across Europe and in the United States, and is widely used as a sandwich bread.
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It is not clear where in Italy this kind of bread was first produced, and at least one type of ciabatta can be found in nearly every region of Italy. The ciabatta from the area encompassing Lake Como has a crisp crust, a somewhat soft, porous texture, and is light to the touch. The ciabatta found in Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche varies from bread that has a firm crust and dense crumb, to bread that has a crisper crust and more open texture. The more open-crumbed form, which is usual in the United States, is made from a very wet dough, often requiring machine-kneading, and a sourdough starter.
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There are many variations of ciabatta. When made with whole wheat flour, it is known as ciabatta integrale. In Rome, it is often seasoned with olive oil, salt, and marjoram. When milk is added to the dough, it becomes ciabatta latte.
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A toasted sandwich made from small loaves of ciabatta is known as a panino (plural panini).
About Sarina
Passionate foodie, founder of Trinigourmet and Caribbean Lifestyle Maven. Author of "Glam By Request: 30+ Easy Caribbean Recipes"
This month marks the third installment of my “CookALong” series where a prominent (usually) Caribbean personality follows one of my recipes, and sometimes throws in a few of their own This week however I’m shaking things up a bit by ...
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Funny – that was just was I was thinking about yesterday, so I made this.
Happy cooking, happy eating and a happy Easter, Sarina.
damn that looks good! now i’m hungry
can’t eat any bread until passover ends… i don’t do easter T
Funny – that was just was I was thinking about yesterday, so I made this.
Happy cooking, happy eating and a happy Easter, Sarina.
damn that looks good! now i’m hungry
can’t eat any bread until passover ends… i don’t do easter T
Hello, and thank you for posting this recipe of Ciabatta bread! I do have a question before trying it. When you bring out the baking stone that has been heated, and you transfer the raised bread to the stone, doesn’t it cause the bread to fall again? Do you just bake it?
Deb
I have a pita bread recipe that uses the baking stone like this, but bread deflates when you disturb it.
Thank you
Hello, and thank you for posting this recipe of Ciabatta bread! I do have a question before trying it. When you bring out the baking stone that has been heated, and you transfer the raised bread to the stone, doesn’t it cause the bread to fall again? Do you just bake it?
Deb
I have a pita bread recipe that uses the baking stone like this, but bread deflates when you disturb it.
Thank you
Debbie – I’ve found the dough of this bread is so sticky that I just transfer it with the foil or sheet that I had it rising on, onto the stone… rather than trying to move the risen doughs
Debbie – I’ve found the dough of this bread is so sticky that I just transfer it with the foil or sheet that I had it rising on, onto the stone… rather than trying to move the risen doughs
just a question;
first time ciabatta maker. just made the sponge and am afraid i’ve blown it already. though followed the directions exactly, final product not looking like a sponge, but rather stiff dough. Is it supposed to be more watery? Is the sponge anything like a sour dough starter?
Thanks for your help
jb
just a question;
first time ciabatta maker. just made the sponge and am afraid i’ve blown it already. though followed the directions exactly, final product not looking like a sponge, but rather stiff dough. Is it supposed to be more watery? Is the sponge anything like a sour dough starter?
Thanks for your help
jb