I can almost smell it baking ....

This weekend has been quite rainy, occasionally a little blustery, and chilly at intermittent times.  Perfect bread baking weather!  Well, maybe not perfect ... but I like to grab any opportunity I can to eat hot bread dripping with whipped butter.   I found the recipe for this bread on the lifehack website and I couldn't believe how easy it was to make.  This ciabetta bread is sooooooooooooooo delicious and it only takes about one minute to prepare.  Really!  Time it!!   (If you have boys you'll realize that timing things is very important.  Secret tip to new boy moms:  you can actually get a little boy to do ANYTHING if you tell him you'll time him).

Ciabetta Bread in Four Easy Steps


Step 1 -
Put two cups of warm water in a big giant bowl.  Add 1/4 teaspoon yeast and 1 teaspoon salt.  Stir around a little bit.  I added some freshly snipped rosemary from my herb garden.

Step 2 -
Add four cups flour and mix a little.  It will be a gloppy wet dough.  The directions said that if it's too thick to be pancake batter and too wet to be playdough it's good.   Cover with a dishtowel, stick in a corner of your kitchen counter, forget about it for 8 - 10 hours.

Step 3 -
After 8 - 10 hours lift the dishtowel.  Has it risen?  Yes!!  Turn oven to  400 degrees.  Treat a cookie sheet.  Non stick spray or flour and cornmeal will do nicely.   Now I coat my hands with a little olive oil and just gently plop the whole wet dough out onto the cookie sheet.  It's pretty wet so I can gently form it into a fat log shape with my olive oil coated hands.  I took this opportunity to sprinkle it with a little coarse salt and more freshly snipped rosemary.

Step 4 -
Pop into the hot oven and set the timer for 25 minutes.  After that check to see if it's just slightly browned.  Is it?  If so, take it out.  Not so, set the timer for five more minutes.

You're done! After it cools for a bit you can start slicing and slathering.

I have to add a disclaimer that I didn't count the time I took to go to my herb garden and get the rosemary or the snipping time.  Have that prepared ahead of time if you are having this timed.