Serves a Crowd
Rosemary Ciabatta with Stout Beer
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102 Reviews
AntoniaJames
February 24, 2024
Susan, did you test this at 7,000 ft? I'm now in Colorado (usually at about 5,000 ft but often on weekends between 7,000 and 10,000 ft. depending on where we're skiing, training for cycling, etc.). I happen to have a bottle of Breckenridge Brewery Stout hiding in my pantry that would be perfect for this, plus tons of rosemary that I dried last fall. Looking forward to trying this! Thanks. ;o)
Derekwaller
December 29, 2018
Great recipe that made a really tasty bread! I especially appreciated the tips and tricks included in the recipe. They were very helpful for a bread beginner like me.
N
June 25, 2018
Does anyone know if I can leave this to rise overnight initially? I make my bread in the evening, and I just saw now that initial rising will take 3.5 hours. I can check it every hour for about two hours, but I am not going to have the extra few hours to bake tonight.
Will this cause me problems?
Will this cause me problems?
Aleelee
January 15, 2022
In general, you can substitute a room temperature rise with a long fridge rise. Most bakers will say it builds flavor. In this case, since the recipe has you shape the dough every hour during the rise, you still need some time at room temperature to do the folds. Could you stick in fridge overnight but then do the 3 hrs at RT in the morning so there is folding time?
Dee
May 25, 2016
The recipe says, "If using Active Dry Yeast, add it at this time with the other wet ingredients." But the instant yeast isn't mentioned. If I'm using instant, when do I add it? Do I just throw it in with the other dry ingredients before adding the wet?
N
June 25, 2018
I think it is considered one of the sry ingredients, so you add it when you add the flour, salt, etc.
Suzanne H.
May 5, 2016
I want to follow this method but minus the beer/rosemary flavor. Can I just leave out the rosemary, and substitute the beer for another liquid? I found a version that used milk. Does anyone know if that would work?
Emily L.
December 2, 2015
Does anyone have opinions on leaving the garlic/rosemary out of the actual dough and just putting it on top prior to baking? I'm really trying to recreate a Melange Boule I had this past weekend at La Farm Bakery in NC that was topped with rosemary, thyme, and garlic
Emily L.
December 2, 2015
and I've just realized I made up the garlic in the recipe but was going to add it to my loaves ... :)
Sjm1988
February 26, 2014
This bread was amazing! I was a bit skeptical that it would bake properly (the dough was so wet!) but the end result was fantastic. Two loaves didn't last an hour in a house of 4...
TheWimpyVegetarian
February 26, 2014
I'm so glad you liked it! It is indeed a very wet dough - all Ciabatta is, by definition since it creates the unique texture with all the holes. Thanks so much for letting me know!
Rosemary
January 30, 2014
Where do you get Malt syrup?
shankopotomus
January 30, 2014
Beer supply store or Amazon. Can be light or dark or very dark. Choose wisely.
TheWimpyVegetarian
January 30, 2014
I got mine at Whole Foods. It's called Barley Malt Syrup on the bottle by Eden Organic.
Michelle
October 27, 2013
UPDATE! Bread turned out AMAZING. Yielded 2 beautiful 1lb loaves. Loved the salt crunch on the outside, loved the soft inside, loved the complex flavor. Still airy even with 15% whole wheat flour.
TheWimpyVegetarian
October 28, 2013
Yay!!!!! I'm so glad it worked out for you!!!! I love the idea of subbing molasses for the malt syrup. Great idea. Thanks so much for letting me know :-)
Michelle
October 27, 2013
Mine is on the second rise and almost ready to go in the oven. I subbed molassus for the malt syrup and I used about 3 oz of whole wheat bread flour to give it more texture. I ended up adding about an oz of beer and had a perfect dough. Sticky, but not super wet. Had no trouble shaping it, though it is rather subject to gravity. Not sure how loaf like it will be after this rise. I also eyeballed the split, but weighed everything else. We'll see what happens!
Al S.
July 10, 2013
Look at your comments in the quotation marks below please. Then, I would like to know how one determines what is too wet and sticky and what is too dry. Can you definitively describe what you mean by those words?
"The dough should be wet and sticky to the touch. If it is too wet, add a little bread flour; if too dry, add a little more beer. "
"The dough should be wet and sticky to the touch. If it is too wet, add a little bread flour; if too dry, add a little more beer. "
shankopotomus
November 24, 2012
Just a few comments to the author and a few to the comments. Please use only one unit of measure. Grams or oz. Either will work but both will not. You might also want to use bakers percent as this is scalable. Commenters, ciabatta is a ver wet dough and not meant to be shaped in a traditional sense. Flour your table well, flour the dough in its bulk ferment bin or bowl. Dump out onto table. Flour the top well. Cut shapes once the dough flattens out naturally and put on well floured peel and bake on stone. Should be slipper shape, hence the name.
Demington
January 25, 2012
I do not have a mixer and wonder if this bread could be made following the no-knead Lahey method. Otherwise I will have to use my hands. Surely ciabatta style breads predate electric mixers...
Thanks for your help. I do love dark, earthy breads. Each week, i use the Lahey method for bread made with my homemade levain.
Thanks for your help. I do love dark, earthy breads. Each week, i use the Lahey method for bread made with my homemade levain.
KatinaP
September 8, 2011
My dough was super wet, too. Couldn't even shape it. Used just 10 oz of poolish and added additional flour during the mixing. Instead of using a loaf pan, I used the Lahey dutch oven method: heat the oven with a dutch oven inside and then place the dough inside the very hot pot and cook covered for the first 20 min. Uncover to finish the cooking. No need to spray with water or use ice since the wetness of the dough and the heat of the dutch oven create enough steam to create a great crust. I used molasses instead of malt syrup and that seemed to work.
TheWimpyVegetarian
September 8, 2011
Thanks for your feedback, KatinaP, and I'm glad it ultimately worked although it sounds like it was too wet for shaping. I'm going make it again and see if I need to make adjustments in the recipe for this. Ciabatta, by definition, is a very wet dough which gives it the holes, but you should be able to work with it more than it sounds like you could. Really appreciate your comments!
KatinaP
September 8, 2011
My dough was super wet, too. Couldn't even shape it. Used just 10 oz of poolish and added additional flour during the mixing. Instead of using a loaf pan, I used the Lahey dutch oven method: heat the oven with a dutch oven inside and then place the dough inside the very hot pot and cooked covered for the first 20 min. Uncover to finish the cooking. No need to spray with water or use ice in the pan since the wetness of the dough and the heat of the dutch oven create enough steam to create a great crust. I used molasses instead of malt syrup and that seemed to work.
annbridges
May 15, 2011
so what if I already have a poolish started? how do I use that..just getting to "know bread..."
ashleyamore
April 24, 2011
Made these last night for our Easter brunch today and couldn't help but cut into them this morning to slather with honey butter. Yum!
I'm not a frequent bread baker, and rarely use my standing mixer for kneading when I do bake bread. For the first time, the kneading performed by the hook jammed the bowl deep in the stand, and I had a hell of a time getting the damn thing out.
I will say that it was worth it! Delicous bread :)
(and I was so glad to see that golden syrup worked as a substitution for malt syrup - it's what I had on hand, so that's what I used!)
I'm not a frequent bread baker, and rarely use my standing mixer for kneading when I do bake bread. For the first time, the kneading performed by the hook jammed the bowl deep in the stand, and I had a hell of a time getting the damn thing out.
I will say that it was worth it! Delicous bread :)
(and I was so glad to see that golden syrup worked as a substitution for malt syrup - it's what I had on hand, so that's what I used!)
TheWimpyVegetarian
May 8, 2011
I'm so sorry the hook jammed!! But I'm really glad you liked the bread anyway. Sorry it took me so long to respond - I've been on vacation and was unplugged for awhile. But I really appreciate the feedback!
aussiefoodie
December 19, 2010
Wow - this was wonderful bread! I couldn't find malt syrup, so used golden syrup instead - I think it probably didn't have as strong a flavor as the malt syrup would add, but it still tasted delicious. The stout gives a lovely brown color, and the texture was very nice - small bubbles and enough denseness and airness to give a lovely, chewy loaf. I forgot to fold the dough over on itself during the first rising, but this didn't seem to cause any problems, the bread turned out great. Would love to try this again, with some different beers and maybe even different herb flavors.
TheWimpyVegetarian
December 19, 2010
I'm so glad you liked it so much! And thanks so much for the feedback - I really appreciate it. And I'm so glad golden syrup worked as a good substitute for the malt syrup. Is it a sweet syrup?
AntoniaJames
November 20, 2010
Have you ever made this without a stand mixer? I don't have one, so must improvise . . . Am hoping to use this for melissav's stuffing with chorizo . . . . Thanks so much. ;o)
TheWimpyVegetarian
November 20, 2010
I've never made it without a stand mixer. It's a pretty wet dough, so let me do some thinking too. We'll be gone Thanksgiving week, and am also trying to think about my schedule tomorrow and if I can get mine to you to use. It's pretty big....
AntoniaJames
November 20, 2010
CS, you're so kind. I've given this some more thought and decided, in light of my work schedule (client work all weekend, and from early morning until night Monday through Wednesday) that I probably should just buy (I can't believe I said that) an artisan bread to use for this. I can borrow a mixer of a friend nearby if and when I get the chance to try this recipe. Thank you, though, for your generous offer. Have a safe trip! ;o)
AntoniaJames
November 19, 2010
Have you ever made this in shapes other than boules? Am wondering about making traditional ciabattas ("little slippers" in Italian, the one-sandwich-size kind) for T-Day + 1, 2, etc. Am definitely making this, one way or the other. ;o)
TheWimpyVegetarian
November 19, 2010
That sounds like a wonderful idea! I've only made it in boules, but I can't imagine why you couldn't make them in the small traditional size. I started developing the recipe when I was in culinary school and was making it there for 15 people to try as worked on my "versions". This would go great with your turkey and speck sandwiches. My favorite sandwiches with this bread are proscuitto and arugula sandwiches with mustard and swiss cheese. The only caution, and you likely know this, is that ciabatta is a very wet bread and is more difficult to work with when it's raining outside. This is best made on a sunny dry day. I would love to hear how this turns out if you make the smaller ones and to see a picture if you have a chance to take a snap. And how funny, I just picked up multi-grain cereal to make your multi-grain bread this weekend using Tom's tip with the breadcrumbs!!
lapadia
June 15, 2010
As you have probably noticed by now, I love baking breads; I am definately adding your ciabatta recipe to my "to do" bread list. I have a ciabatta recipe using all white bread flour...King Arthur and often I use a bit of King Arthut's white wheat. I have experimented, with resting the poolish for only a couple hours, forming the loaf, let it rise for a couple more hours and then bake...it came out with the moist, holey crumb and crisp chewy crust...good flavor too, however, resting the full 12 hours to overnight yields a better flavor. The method I experimented with is not traditional, but that is what I like to do when playing in the kitchen...have some non-traditional fun!
TheWimpyVegetarian
June 16, 2010
I love baking and experimenting with bread too. There's something about it that becomes a meditation for me and a link to all the generations of women who made their family's bread. I've done a shorter poolish too and agree it works fine, but like to go for the longer ferment for added flavor too. Good luck with all your bread baking, and keep those great bread recipes coming! I'm making your pita bread hopefully today.
hennef7
May 27, 2010
Suzanne,
I'd like to try this but don't have any malt syrup in my pantry....can you suggest a substitution please.
I'd like to try this but don't have any malt syrup in my pantry....can you suggest a substitution please.
TheWimpyVegetarian
June 16, 2010
We were on vacation for 3 weeks and still catching up and just now seeing your question. Let me do a little homework for you on this. My instinct says you can just omit it. It affects the beer flavor and a little sweetness. The dough is already a pretty wet dough, so I'm not sure I would add any more beer to make up for it, but maybe a little more honey wouldn't go amiss.
Oui, C.
April 22, 2010
Way to go, Suzanne! I have hardly any experience baking bread, but I'm going to give this one a try....the stout compels me. - S
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 23, 2010
Thanks very much!! We made a lot of bread in school which I ended up loving to make so much more than I ever had thought I would. Hope you enjoy it too. Just remember ciabatta is a very wet beer and not, in my opinion, to ever be kneaded by hand. Any kind of beer works, BTW, but the paler the beer, the way less beer flavor you will have. You have to at least have a hearty amber to even taste the beer in the bread.
Aliwaks
April 21, 2010
Congrats Suzanne!! I posted this my baking classes Webliography web page so teh rest of my class can see it. Looks gorgeous...I have no fun bread stuff at home (crap oven, no stand mixer, limited clean surface space) but am able to play around at school, this is going on the list along with bialys.
kaykay
April 21, 2010
Congratulations, ChezSuzanne...Apparently we have similar taste in delicious food and not so delicious food since we coincidentally both said we dislike organ meat!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 21, 2010
Thanks kaykay! And what's really funny is I originally wrote "offal" is "awful" too! Definitely on the same wavelength. Congrats back to you!
TasteFood
April 21, 2010
Congratulations ChezSuzanne! I'll miss this Saturday!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 21, 2010
We will miss you! And all the more reason to have a 3rd pot luck. Soon!
AntoniaJames
April 21, 2010
Yaaay! Congrats! Now, you MUST bring some of this to the potluck on Saturday!!. ;o)
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 21, 2010
Thanks so much antonia!! I KNOW you voted for me! And I would be happy to bring some to the potluck. I made your bread this week and LOVED it. Gotta run to a volunteer training.
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 21, 2010
WOW!! Thanks so much! I'm off for a volunteer training all day today, and what a fabulous way to start the day!
dymnyno
April 21, 2010
Congrats Chez!!! Another one for the West Coast Team!!! Inspiring recipes!! from both you and Antonia James.
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 21, 2010
Thanks!! All the recipes this week were so wonderful I thought it was a tough choice. I made antonia's bread this week and we're still enjoying the wonderful flavor of it!
TasteFood
April 16, 2010
Congratulations Suzanne! This sounds lovely!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 16, 2010
Thanks TasteFood! I think your spring pea and ricotta torte is beautiful! I'm looking forward to trying it.
melissav
April 16, 2010
Beautiful recipe. There are just two in our household and we don't eat a ton of bread so I was wondering if I could freeze a loaf. If so, would it be best to freeze the dough, and if so, at what stage, or the finished product. Thanks for your thoughts!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 16, 2010
Thanks so much melissav!! There are only 2 now in my household so I totally understand. There are 3 good options for freezing: (1) (my personal favorite) You can bake the bread 75% of the way done and then freeze it. When ready to eat it, bring to room temp and complete the baking. (2) (my least favorite) freeze unbaked dough for up to 2 weeks after shaping it, but you might want to use a little more yeast (rule of thumb is 10-20% more) to compensate for the freezing damage to fermentation. The longer you plan to freeze the dough the closer to the 20% you want to use. (3) Bake it 100% and then freeze. Note: Freezing unbaked dough will sacrifice the most in flavor and fermentation. But if you do it, make sure you've done your final shaping. Hope this helps! And hope you enjoy the bread!
melissav
April 17, 2010
Thanks Suzanne. I'm just made the poolish and I'm going to give option number 1 a try tomorrow. I'll let you know how it turns out . . . great, I'm sure!
melissav
April 21, 2010
Hi Suzanne - Congrats on the win! I have one more question for you - When I made this over the weekend, the dough was so sticky I couldn't work with it and shape it. I'm a novice at making bread so I think I did something wrong. Could it be that I didn't add enough flour at the beginning?
FrozenFoodie
April 21, 2010
I'm having the sticky issue also, so would love to hear your recommendations. I'm sure I messed up something in the beginning.
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 22, 2010
Now seeing your comment on this on the stickiness. Sorry! Ciabatta bread is a very wet bread which is what gives it the holes. I'm not sure if the problems are in the kneading process or the shaping. It's not really possible to knead it by hand and it must all be done with the dough hook in a standing mixer. When I pre-shape it, I flour my hands pretty well and do a rough shape. I cover it first with a towel and then with plastic on top of the towel as the plastic will stick to the dough. If I forget to do that, I just peel the plastic off and have to lose some of the dough with it. When I do the final shape, I have a well floured work area and again well-floured hands. Another possibility, if this doesn't work is that if you're in humid areas geographically, you could have a more moist dough. Honey absorbs a lot of moisture from the air. During the rising, that could be happening. So you could omit the honey and add some sugar in its place I would think, although I confess I haven't tried that version. Does any of this help?
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 22, 2010
Another thought i just had was to make sure you guys only used 10 oz of the poolish. I threw away the poolish I didn't use. This is a lot of what makes it such a sticky dough.
melissav
April 22, 2010
Thanks for the tips. The bread still turned out delicious - I just lost a lot of the dough in the process. I live in South Florida, which is about as humid as you can get so that may explain it (and I probably didn't flour my hands enough). I'm definitely going to give it another go once we finish the two loaves and I'll try sugar to see if that helps with the stickiness. Thanks again!
FrozenFoodie
April 22, 2010
I'm sure I added too much poolish! It was too runny to even shape. I put it all in a bread pan and baked it as one loaf. I didn't get the holes, but it made a very tasty dense bread. Will have to try again and see if I can get it right. Thanks for the tips.
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 22, 2010
Well at least you both enjoyed the flavor of the bread, if not the process of making it! Hopefully it's easier to work with the next time around.
melissav
April 22, 2010
Thanks for all of your help Suzanne. I think it had to be the humidity here. We had the doors open most of Sunday and it was a hot rainy FL day (i.e., very very humid). We really enjoyed the bread and I made my husband clean up the sticky mess. So it all worked out well in the end!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 23, 2010
One final thought on the stickiness, Melissa, that may allow you to keep the honey in for the flavor and crust is to reduce the poolish that you put into the dough by an ounce and increase the flour by an ounce. You would still have enough poolish in the dough to give you the crust and crumb of a ciabatta, but it may be easier to work with in a humid climate. If you remove 2 ounces of poolish, though, I would only add 1 1/2 ounces of flour back in.
kaykay
April 15, 2010
Yeah!! Love the second photo where you see the texture of the interior...it looks wonderful...Congrats!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 16, 2010
Thanks kaykay and huge congrats backatcha!! The poolish has everything to do with the type of texture you get with ciabatta. You could probably cut out the malt syrup if you had to, but never the poolish.
dymnyno
April 15, 2010
Congratulations to all the California contest winners!! and a Bridge series between Antonia and Chez
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 16, 2010
Thanks so much dymnyno! Pretty amazing that antonia and I are in the finals together!
AntoniaJames
April 15, 2010
Okay, this question is for anybody who reads it . . . should I buy a stand mixer, especially to use in making bread? I don't own one, primarily because I have a teeny tiny "maid's" kitchen with precious little counter space and insufficient clearance under my upper cabinets. I could put a stand mixer in a work space we have that's adjacent to the kitchen, but still fairly convenient. I've never thought I needed a stand mixer, but with all the recipes posted last week in which people not just use, but for which they recommend, a stand mixer, I'm re-thinking this. Thank you, everyone!! ;o)
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 15, 2010
I confess I've made this bread also with a food processor as well as a stand mixer. I have one that has a "dough" button, and while I was concerned it might work the dough too much and become too tough, it was fine. Don't know if that might be an option?
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 15, 2010
I should add that the FP didn't give me nearly as much control over the dough as the stand mixer did, but in a pinch it can work.
mrslarkin
April 15, 2010
congrats, ChezSuzanne! Love all your tips. I proof my bread in the microwave, too! It's a great trick.
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 15, 2010
Oh My Gosh! I'm on way out but thought I'd just check in to see who made finalists. Thanks So Much!!
Ltepper
April 15, 2010
Anyone know where to buy malt syrup? Is it something a brewery might have? We have a very awesome brewery right around the corner and that would make this very very easy.
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 15, 2010
Hi Ltepper - I got mine at Whole Foods. It comes in a jar and I think it was in the section that had molasses, etc by baking stuff. Hope that helps!
Annelle
April 15, 2010
Very excited to have this wonderful recipe with all the important tips! Thank you for sharing!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 15, 2010
Breadbaking did not come naturally to me and I really needed to learn the techniques for getting it to consistently come out the way I wanted it to. Thanks so much!!
NakedBeet
April 15, 2010
Trying to make more yeast breads this year and have yet to learn about poolish and all the other preferments. As a beginner, I completely appreciate the thoroughness of the instructions and can't wait to try this. I'm a ciabatta addict, too.
AntoniaJames
April 10, 2010
Have never made ciabatta, but am utterly and totally inspired by this recipe. What a gorgeous loaf!! Am definitely going to try this. Stay tuned . . . . . . Love your photo, too! ;o)
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 16, 2010
Thank you as always for all your kind, supportive comments. And as you know, I love your food too!
Lizthechef
April 7, 2010
I am ready for lessons - are you willing to take on a student? Thumbs up.
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 8, 2010
Absolutely! And thanks for your thumbs up. Anyone can do it, but there are a few simple rules I've found. Hope these tips work for you and didn't make for too long of a read :-)!!
TheWimpyVegetarian
April 7, 2010
Thanks student epicure! I look at bread making as an intersection of art meets science, and I'll be the first to admit I'm still on a learning curve. I hope my tips help and the bread is a success for you.
student E.
April 6, 2010
looks wonderful! i don't have much experience baking bread, so all your tips are much appreciated. planning to try this out over the weekend.
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