Ciabatta

After making wild mushroom ciabatta, I decided to try to improve my skills on the basics of this rustic bread and make it from just flour, yeast and water. Here is the basic sponge that has been sitting overnight next to the additional flour that will be added:

The dough came together more easily without the addition of the soaked dried mushrooms, and felt better to the touch, despite the lack of fat from the olive oil that had also been part of the mushroom loaf:

The bread rose well...before:

And after!

I split the loaves before setting up my couche:

And then left the bread to rise once more:

The finished loaves - this time, with better structure. I'll be making this one again soon!

Wild Mushroom Ciabatta

I was making soup for dinner, so I went a little wild with my ciabatta. Clockwise from top left: sponge, dried mushrooms soaking in warm water, minced garlic, and fresh mushrooms:

Once everything but the mushrooms and garlic were mixed in, this dough looked like a bit of a mess:

But after some rising, it was time to shape the bread and mix in the fresh mushrooms and garlic, by now sauteed in a bit of olive oil. Here, the bread is stretched out so I can fold in the mushrooms:

Sprinkled on top before I wrapped the dough back over for another rise:

Once the mushrooms were incorporated, this dough sits in a couche (well floured kitchen towels, basically) to rise so that it doesn't lose the proper shape:

And from the couche, into the oven...and soon after, to the table!

Ciabatta

I made bread for the first time in a long time, and didn't even think to take pictures until I was headed out the door, late, to a lunch and thought I should prove that I had a reason to be tardy - shaped ciabatta, sitting in a couche, ready to rise:

And when I returned it had risen and, well, fallen a bit:

But it baked up beautifully!


The recipe is from "The Bread Baker's Apprentice." 

and then I made some granola, from Fritz's mom's recipe. Dorothea has a great basic recipe that I've been modifying depending on the nuts and fruits that I had around. This batch has almonds, pecans, cinnamon and no fruit.