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Friday, January 4, 2013

Herbed Ciabatta Bread



 Cleaning out my book bag, I found 3 packets of soy sauce, a package of Reese's pieces, a small bottle of rice vinegar, a pair of ear muffs for target shooting, 5 chai tea bags, and several cat toys. And this was just in one pocket. Clearly, either my book bag is very well rounded or there is something wrong with me. I would argue that preparedness is a valuable skill, however. There's been many a time when I have rescued a disappointing lunch with a splash of rice vinegar, and one of those tea bags was the perfect solution to a surprisingly chilly day during our Louisiana vacation...


Which turned out to be the perfect day to bake bread, as well...


Herbed Ciabatta Bread
1 1/2 cups cool water
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
3 1/2 cups white whole wheat Flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
Mix together the water, herbs, 2 cups of the flour, and 1 teaspoon of the yeast.

Mix in the remaining flour, yeast, and salt to make a very sticky dough. 
Let the dough rise, covered with a damp towel, in a lightly floured bowl, for 1 hour, then gently deflate it.
Cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise again until very puffy, about 2 hours.

While the dough is rising, Preheat your oven to 500°F.
When the dough has risen, place on a piece of parchment in a baking sheet. Bake the ciabatta until it's golden brown, approximately 22 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack, and serve with butter or sandwiches!
We had ours with steamed Brussels sprouts, because you can never have too many Brussels sprouts...



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2 comments:

  1. I need to bake more bread. I really want to have my new years resolution to have 95% of the baked goods I eat be things I actually bake myself!

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  2. Thanks for commenting on my blog!

    I've always wanted to bake my own bread... it's on my food-to-make bucket list :) And those brussels sprouts look DELICIOUS! I definitely need to make those more often.

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