2011-03-16

Food = Love

Today, I want to share with you a simple kind of joy, one of home and hearth and heart - my own family's recipe for homemade bread.   Now, before you run off terrified at the thought of a flour-coated kitchen and mystifying bread-making terms like kneading, benching and degassing, I should add that this fail-safe recipe for Ciabatta is so simple a 6-year-old could make it.  Honest!

In my home, food = love.   I don’t mean that in any pop-psycho  “substituting food for love” way.  My meaning is much simpler:  when someone prepares food for you, with the intent of giving you pleasure and nourishment, it's a way of showing their love for you.  When my children were young and I had warm cookies ready for them when they got home from school, that was love;  when my grown daughter returns home for a visit and I prepare her favourite dish of spinach and cheese tortellini, that is love; and when my husband cooks up a Sunday morning breakfast while I lounge around in my pyjamas with my of mug hot coffee, that is love.   So, here I am, sharing my family's Ciabatta recipe with you, with love.  The smell of it baking is enough to make any house feel like a comfy cozy home.  You just HAVE to give this a try - it is so unbelievably easy.

Here's the ingredients:

4 C  (1,000 ml) flour
2 C (500 ml) warm water
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
1/4 tsp (1.5 ml) dried yeast
Italian spice mixture (optional)

1.  Add the warm (not hot) water to a large bowl
2.  Add the yeast & stir to disolve
3.  Stir in the salt
4.  Stir in the flour.  It should have a consistencey somewhere between pancake batter & play doe.
5.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave for 8 - 12 hours.  (Easy or what?)  You can get it ready the night before & bake the next morning, or start it in the morning and have warm bread with dinner.
6.  Dump the dough onto a flour coated baking pan and gently shape into a flat loaf.  Sprinkle with Italian spices (if you want to make it extra-special).
7.  Bake at 400 degrees F (200 celsius) for 30 minutes or until done.  Remove from oven & let cool on wire rack.
8.  Share the love with your family.





That's it!  Enjoy!

P.S.  I'd love to hear how it turns out for you, so please leave a comment.

18 comments:

  1. I love homemade bread and used to make it often. You've inspired me to get back to it. There's nothing better. And I like the rhythm and patience of making it. Thanks for the motivation!

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  2. Galen Pearl: I'm happy to have inspired you, and I know just what you mean - nothing releases stress better than kneading bread. But this recipe is something of a cheat - no patience or skill required!

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  3. I've kind of gotten away from my community kitchen project lately, but your blog today really inspired me and reminded my why I love eating and cooking and sharing so much. That was really touching. Thanks mom

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  4. Great post. I think this is such a healthy and happy attitude towards food - very refreshing in this day and age when food is painted like some sort of "enemy." Food is absolutely an expression of affection. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recipe! :D

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  5. Megan: Your welcome! Will I be cooking tortellini any time soon?

    Samantha: I agree. And thank you!

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  6. I want it! That ciabatta looks divine.

    I need your help with something though - the receipe says

    '4 C Flour'. What does 'C' stand for? We have different weights and measures in the UK you see.

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  7. I'm on a candida cleanse (i.e. no wheat) but will be saving this for down the road...sounds delicious!!!

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  8. Annie: oops! This recipe's in the old-style measurements but we use metric here too.

    1 c = 250 ml
    1 tsp = 5 ml

    Thanks for pointing it out.

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  9. Oh! And 400 degrees F = 200 degrees C

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  10. YUM!!! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  11. My husband has recently decided that he wants to bake stuff (totally random and out of the blue). Well I'm passing this recipe on to him. Love homemade bread :-)

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  12. Man, there really is nothing better than fresh baked homemade bread. Thanks for sharing the recipe! And commenting back from your comment, seriously, why don't people use 'raaawr' anymore. My 12 year old self loved that, haha

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  13. Yum, I am going to try this. It would be really tasty dipped into balsamic and olive oil.

    Maybe for our wine and pasta murder mystery party.

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  14. You have hit the nail on the head...this was the lesson that I learned from my Italian grandmother growing up- family, food and love go together.

    I have read several of your posts here, Kara- I think you and I could be great friends!

    Take Good Care!
    Nancy

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  15. Man, there really is nothing better than fresh baked homemade bread. Thanks for sharing the recipe! And commenting back from your comment, seriously, why don't people use 'raaawr' anymore. My 12 year old self loved that, haha

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  16. Galen Pearl: I'm happy to have inspired you, and I know just what you mean - nothing releases stress better than kneading bread. But this recipe is something of a cheat - no patience or skill required!

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  17. I'm on a candida cleanse (i.e. no wheat) but will be saving this for down the road...sounds delicious!!!

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  18. Great post. I think this is such a healthy and happy attitude towards food - very refreshing in this day and age when food is painted like some sort of "enemy." Food is absolutely an expression of affection. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and recipe! :D

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