Checkout the Ciabatta Roundup of beautiful loaves from the Bread Baking Babes and Buddies.

I was the host kitchen for the Bread Baking Babes this month.  I always enjoy being the hostess because you get to see how the other bakers take your idea and put their spin on it.  I’m never disappointed.

The bread I chose this month was a bit tricky due to the high hydration, but the Babes and Buddies did a wonderful job.  Just look at all of the fabulous ciabatta slippers. I love all of the substitutions they made.  It makes me want to make these loaves again and try out some of the different variations.

 

Here is the Ciabatta the Babes made:

Lien of Notitie van Lien made her version with the prunes and flaxseeds.  She said, “You can add whatever is in your cupboard or what you like. I liked this combination a lot, but next time I think I will add a mixture of seeds and no fruit, so it goes better with a (Italian) meal.” Good idea!

Elle of Feeding My Enthusiasms made her “slipper bread” (aka Ciabbata) with a 7-grain blend instead of the rye flour and dried cranberries instead of prunes. She said, “I made three loaves and they looked fine and tasted even better. Would have been even better with the rye flour (which I discovered I was out of) but I really liked the dried cranberries. Sweetie ate half of the first loaf he liked it so much.” I like the looks of those dried cranberries.

 

 

Tanna of My Kitchen in Half Cups made her loaves with dried black olives. She said, “no plums or prunes here but there were gorgeous dried black olives.  Perfect for wine and cheese!  Really this was astronomically wonderful.”  I’m so glad you enjoyed these loaves.

 

Elizabeth of blog from Our Kitchen made the ciabatta, and she incorporated a new shaping technique: a ring with braids. She did a fabulous job with this high hydration dough.  Hey Elizabeth, prunes, dried plums… you say tomato, I say, well you know.

 

Here are my Rustic Ciabatta with Dried Plums and Flaxseeds. Considering how wet this dough was, I thought it was fairly easy to work with. Although it was a challenge moving it from the couche to the baking stone, but the loaves survived.

 

Now for the loaves the Bread Baking Buddies made:

 

Judy of Judy’s Gross Eats described this bread as a two-alarm bread.  She said, “This was a very noisy and exciting bread for me to bake.  Mixing the ingredients and letting the unbaked loaves proof was pretty straightforward.  The baking part, however, was unique.” I wouldn’t worry about the holes, Judy.  You get the prize for persevering under pressure and noise. I probably would’ve turned the oven off after the first alarm went off.  Read her post for the details…

 

Karen of Karen’s Kitchen Stories made her version with dates. Just look at those lovely holes!  Here is how she described her experience “This Rustic Flaxseed and Date Ciabatta really was a thrill for me because the bread is so full of holes! An airy bread is kind of the Holy Grail (no pun intended) for baking achievement in the world of ciabatta.”

 

Carola of Sweet and That’s It made her loaves with dried apricots and golden flaxseeds. She said she folded them a bit and let them proof in the baguette tray. With the rest she made 4 rolls.  They look great!

 

Sandie of Crumbs of Love described this as “a fantastic bread and so worth the time and effort. I wouldn’t say that this is a beginner’s bread, since it is a very wet dough, but I wouldn’t be scared of giving it a go either. I’m glad to hear that.  Great job!  I’m so glad you tried it and liked it.

 

Kudos to the Babes and Buddies! You stepped up to the challenge and made some fabulous-looking ciabatta loaves. Thank you for baking along with me this month. It’s been my pleasure.

Until next time…

 

Happy Baking!
Cathy