Ciabatta Bread - Artisan Bread

  

4 ingredients. No fuss.  No kneading.

Rustic.  Chewy.  Dense. Hot from the oven spread with a bit of butter  and then later, drizzled with Italian dressing, topped with turkey, ham, salami, provolone, fresh spinach leaves, tomatoes...  and it's dinner.  I've made a batch of these twice this week by request from my 17 year old daughter and my husband.

I found this recipe online last year, but the book that features the recipe if you need or want more details or love it so much that you want to purchase the cookbook is; (Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking).

I LOVE this recipe.  Only 4 main ingredients and you can mix it up with a wooden spoon in a bowl or bucket.  No kneading.  No fuss. 

 

Artisan Bread

1 ½ T yeast
1 ½ T salt
3 c water, lukewarm
6 ½ c flour

cornmeal
flour
Baking/Pizza Stone


Dump yeast, salt and water into a large bowl, bucket or container.
Add flour.
Mix with a wooden spoon just until the flour is incorporated. No dry flour, no lumps.
Put a loose lid on or cover loosely with plastic wrap. Not air tight.  Let set at room temperature about 2 hours.
Sprinkle bit of flour so your fingers don’t stick. Cut off grapefruit sized piece with serrated knife.
Work in your hands to make a ball, pulling top layer to bottom.  Round and smooth.
Place on cornmeal sprinkled board.
Let set 40 minutes.
Sprinkle with flour, slash the loaf with a few slices.
Bake at 375 preheated oven with an empty pan in the bottom.
Slide on middle shelf baking stone.
Pour a cup of water in the hot empty pan and close door quickly to steam the bread.
Baked till top is golden brown - about 20-25 minutes.
Hard crust and moist, soft bread!