Hi all,

Back from holidays and thought I’d get around to sharing my first forays into bread last month thanks to TBB!

Have made the Ciabatta about 4 times now (first two pics) and after a side-by-side comparison find that Italian Bread Flour gives a slightly better texture and classic chewy crust than plain (all purpose) flour.

The Beer bread (third pic) was also a great hit and as Rose says the beer adds a certain depth to the loaf but it’s not an identifiable “beery” flavour. I didn’t manage to slash it too cleanly though ;(

Also, whilst on holidays my 4 year old nephew wanted to make some bread so the last photo is of him helping me shape a ciabatta….the pure excitement on his face as the loaf rose in the oven was priceless. His 2 year old brother stood there watching too and just said ” w0000w” very cute!  Once cooled, I couldn’t keep pace, slicing buttering and Vegemite-ing as with 4 little ones under 4 devoured it and demanded more!

Absolutely lovely photos Cate - excellent!

Cate your bread looks very good. Love the pic of you and your nephew. Isn’t it awesome to cook with kids? Vegemite…...yum…..I haven’t had it in years.

Cate you are a courageous woman starting your bread-baking career with ciabatta.  It is not an easy dough to handle and yours looks gorgeous - everything else will be a piece of cake (no pun intended) from now on.  Keep up the bread-baking!
Annie

Cate, oh dearly thank you for sharing photos, and your nephew is great!  My 11 year younger brother was my kitchen best helper too.

Where do you live?  Ciabatta is perfect with Italian flour.  In the USA, we have the challenge of it coming too wet.  Holey perfection you achieved.  Rose asked me to make Ciabatta when I went to Italy to really tell how to appreciate their flour, I didn’t but did the basic sourdough and noticed FANTASTIC differences.

I was so driven to bake bread in Italy, that I carried my own quarry tiles in my luggage.  I know they make excellent tiles, but wanted to save a trip to the tile shop.

Thanks Patrincia and all for the kind words…

Rozanne: Yes, I love cooking with kids. My little one is 2 and is obsessed with making (and eating!) omelettes! He tells me what to put in them (“Eggs Mummy…ham….I EAT some Mummy…MIX… and put cheese in… Look Mummy- eggs are hiding….”).... his latest instructions are to put turmeric in everything since we made a stuffed meatloaf which required it….needless to say we just pretend to put in everything else!!

Annie: Thank you - I’ve caught the bread bug definitely! The sound of the crust ‘singing’ as it cools is so addictive.
I guess because I just adore ciabatta and I didn’t know it was a tough one I just rushed in and tried it. I put all my faith in Rose’s detailed instructions - so not knowing to fear it and a rosy baking angel over my shoulder -how could I go wrong?!!

Hector: I’m in Sydney Australia, but was in Perth for a holiday when I made the loaf with my nephew. I’ve found it very easy in most major capitals here to find both locally made Anchor Tipo OO Italian-style bread flour in most supermarkets and also imported Farina per Pane Italian bread flour. Most Italian delis and food stores sell the imported variety too.  I will do a trial with the Italian and local bread flours soon to see the difference too (last comparison was Italian vs local all-purpose). Hehe…re: taking the tile to Italy with you -that’s pure planning excellence! Mind you there’s no way I’d have room in my case for a tile….I’m an over-packer when it comes to travelling!!!