Easy No-Knead Ciabatta Bread
I am a very lazy cook, I must admit. I like to make tasty meals with minimal effort and great results and this quick bread recipe can confirm it. 'Ciabatta' literally means 'slipper', so this means it doesn't have to be too round and perfect and it doesn't require special skills when it comes to shaping it. And, after being able to make burger patties using just a regular mixer, I suddenly became a very inspired cook :)
So I took the amounts for this recipe, then I used a hand mixer to make the preparation and kneading process much easier and quicker. I was extremely amazed by the result, and it wasn't just me. My kids and my husband simply adored the freshly baked bread, slightly crusty on the outside, but soft and airy on the inside. So, this quick bread was the perfect complement to our meal, the smell of bread spreading through the house and all this with very little effort.
For the dough you can use 1/3 or 1/2 whole-wheat flour, in the picture it's 1/3 whole-wheat flour. Or you can just do it plain, using white flour, the classic yet, more tempting and so good!
Place the flour, salt and yeast in a medium sized bowl.
Pour in water.
Start mixing everything together using the dough hooks from the hand mixer. Keep stirring for 5 minutes, until dough is uniform, a bit soft and sticky.
Cover in the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 2 hours.
After this while, take 2 handfuls and flour the kitchen table.
Using a spatula or a spoon, turn the dough out onto the floured table.
Dough was very sticky, so using the hands was pointless until now.
Spread over some more flour.
Divide dough in 2 equal halves.
Now take each half and fold it 3-4 times in different directions. The flour will help you work this soft and light dough and make the shaping easier.
The last time you fold it, slightly stretch the dough until you get this long and flat shape. Transfer the bread on the baking sheet, already lined with parchment paper.
Do the same with the second loaf.
Notice you don't have to knead and press the dough at all, you just need to stretch slightly, fold and it's done.
Leave the bread to rest like this on the kitchen table for 30-40 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees C and place a small oven tray at the bottom (I placed a pizza pan).
When you put the bread in the oven, pour half of cup of water in this hot tray at the bottom. Steam will form inside the oven for a super crusty bread.
After 10 minutes, take out the water tray from the oven and let the bread bake for another 20-30 minutes until it's a deep, golden brown.
Then remove and let it cool, covered in a kitchen towel.
Of course, warm is the best, but it's still tasty the next day.
I would also like to freeze one for some other time, but usually it's so good that there isn't much left :)
Enjoy!
