Here is a link to the video, because it's the technique that's important to make this easy. The recipe is just flour, yeast, salt and water and the amounts are on his website linked at the end of the video. There aren't written instructions on the "how to", but a video is worth a million words. This may be the easiest bread ever. And it's tasty, I baked it up this morning after mixing yesterday afternoon. Enjoy!

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PS – If you've ever made Ciabatta and found it was "too-sticky-and-hard-to-work-with-I'll-never-make-this-again-I-don't-care-how-good-Ciabatta-is", then you need this technique.

Not that that's ever happened to me, of course.

Besides the great recipe, this guy was hilarious!  I love his sense of humor, and I bet he's every bit as sexy as his voice sounds.  Although with my luck he's probably pre-pubescent with terrible acne and braces and headgear and everything else that's the exact opposite of what I'm imagining ; )) !!!

I can't wait to try this bread! Thanks for sharing, mamajoseph!!

Many years ago, Martha Stewart demonstrated a recipe for a "brick pressed sandwich" using ciabatta bread.  It was that recipe that got me hooked on ciabatta bread.  Since all my recipes are in storage now, and seeing this bread really made me crave that sandwich again, I just googled it, and only found a description on her site, not the recipe.  Apparently it's from 1998, but from just the description, it's super easy to replicate. This sandwich was a staple of mine to bring to family reunions and church potlucks.  Everyone loved it and always wanted the recipe.  Now I know what I'm fixing this weekend!!

Here's the description & a picture:

Liz,

Thanks for the great sandwich recipe. It can be a real challenge for me to figure out what to serve for lunch when we have company for a week. This is a great one to try. I am also seeing it would be great for picnics, parties, etc.

And YES! I should have amended his mild disclaimer that the bread get a bit wider as it rises, then bakes. It gets a LOT  wider. Next time, I will shape it to about half the desired finished width. Either way, it was delicious plain and also made yummy bruschetta.

We're having company this weekend and I'm going to serve it as bruschetta with a savory cream cheese spread. Maybe some mozzarella slices…

I have been making this exact same recipe since the beginning of April. It sure saves on time when you have a bunch of little ones running underfoot.

After running into the problem of the dough eating holes in the foil   and so having to throw out a batch (not very good or safe to eat then), I now use plastic wrap to cover it for the sleep, re-using it for the shaping part.

I found that I could replace up to 2 1/2 c. white flour with home-ground whole grain flour with no major side effects, but it does change the texture some, of course! More of the whole grain, and it gets way too heavy. My husband does not like the crunchy crust (but I do), so I brush the top with butter before it cools.

If I leave a little of either the whole grain or the white dough, then mix it into the next batch that is the opposite, I get a marbled loaf.

I like using the same bowl over and over without washing until the dough gets too sour for our liking. Then, I wash it and start over again. If you do this, it grows extra yeast and great flavor.

I also found that if I make a double batch, I can make 4 smaller loaves and place them side by side on a cookie sheet. This is helpful if we have a bunch of hot days in a row & I can't bake more. It freezes nicely too. My DH thought that putting this in bread pans would work, but I like the ease of cleaning a cookie sheet.

Liz Pike, great recipe! I printed it off. 

I have another recipe to add, and it is fast as could be…so tasty and a family favorite!  Yes…this IS what my family looks like when it hits the table.

Sloppy Joe Pizza

Ciabatta Bread (an Italian loaf of some sort), cut in half 

1 lb. ground beef, cooked

corn (my addition…looks and tastes great!)

1/2 bottle of BBQ sauce

Mozzarella cheese (or other favorite cheese), grated

Mix cooked ground beef, corn and BBQ sauce, simmer for a few minutes. Spread on one half of the bread. 

Sprinkle cheese on top of the meat mixture. I think that you are supposed to throw it into  the oven for a bit, but I don't usually. Serve and savor.

Variation: Sometimes instead of using the bread, I like to use baking powder biscuits as a base. It adds just a bit different flavor. I also prefer my BBQ sauce over the more expensive bought ones too. Soooo gooood!