Ciabatta

A sliced Ciabatta

Ciabatta (Italian pronunciation: [tʃaˈba:ta], literally "slipper bread") is an Italian white bread made with wheat flour and yeast. The loaf is somewhat elongated, broad and flattish. There are many variations of ciabatta.

Ciabatta in its modern form was developed in 1982.^[1] Since the late 1990s it has been popular across Europe, particularly in Spain, and in the United States, and is widely used as a sandwich bread.

A toasted sandwich made from small loaves of ciabatta is known as a panino (plural panini).

Italy

Ciabatta was first produced in Liguria, although at least one type of ciabatta can be found in nearly every region of Italy nowadays.

The ciabatta from the area encompassing Lake Como has a crisp crust, a somewhat soft, porous texture, and is light to the touch. The ciabatta found in Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche varies from bread that has a firm crust and dense crumb, to bread that has a crisper crust and more open texture.

When made with whole wheat flour, it is known as ciabatta integrale. In Rome, it is often seasoned with olive oil, salt, and marjoram. When milk is added to the dough, it becomes ciabatta al latte

United States

Ciabatta bread was brought to America in the early 1990s by Orlando Bakery, a Cleveland firm. They brought over 3 bakers from Italy to develop the product and mass production process. They successfully introduced a fresh bread, then later, a frozen version. It was quickly copied throughout the United States.

The more open-crumbed form, which is usual in the United States, is made from a very wet dough, often requiring machine-kneading, and a biga or sourdough starter.

See also

• Focaccia

Gallery

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  A half-sized Ciabatta

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  Beef pastrami served in Ciabatta

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  Submarine sandwich based on a Ciabatta

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  Ciabatta with black olives

References

1. ^ Guardian: The secret life of ciabatta

External links

• A Guide to Making Ciabatta