Ciabatta Pics...

JD McGee

My first Ciabatta bread...turned out pretty good. Temp shot up and stuck at 510 when I added the ice cubes to the cast iron skillet for steaming...so I checked it early. Glad I did or it would have burned. Internal temp was 212..target was 214. Crispy crust, nice big air holes, and chewy center.[p][p][p]JD

Big'un

JD McGee,
What a work of art! Nice job!

UGAVET

JD McGee,
Wow, that looks great. That is not from sourdough is it? do you have a recipe for that close at hand?

Rick's Tropical Delight

JD McGee,
nice! i can taste that from here

Clay Q

JD McGee,
Beautiful ciabatta!
I call it slack bread; very sticky on the bread board but fun to make anyway. The use of ice cubes sounds like a safe way to introduce steam. I'll have to give your technique a try. Your crust looks great.
Clay

Unknown

JD McGee,[p]Looks good enough to eat [p]Konrad

JD McGee

ugavet,[p]Hi Brad...no it's not from a sourdough. The recipe is from "The Bread Bible" by Rose Levy Beranbaum. I'll e-mail you a copy...it'll take me a while to type it! LOL![p]John

mad max beyond eggdome

JD McGee,
great looking bread.. .. and i have a fantastic stuffing recipe for ciabatta if you want it (from my girlfriend giada) .. ..

JD McGee

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Thanks max...always looking for good recipes...I'd be glad to take a look a Giada's...recipe. [p]JD

mad max beyond eggdome

JD McGee,
here you go. ..i don't do this on the egg as i find wet bread absorbs too much smoke, even from a clean fire. ...but my family loves this stuffing, won't do any other any more. .. [p]Ciabatta Stuffing with Chestnuts and Pancetta
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis
See this recipe on air Friday Nov. 19 at 11:00 AM ET/PT.
Show: Everyday Italian[p]
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
8 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
3 celery stalks, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 (7.4-ounce) jars roasted peeled whole chestnuts, coarsely broken
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 pound day-old ciabatta bread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 cup (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten to blend
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter a 15 by 10 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a large bowl. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, celery, rosemary, and garlic. Saute until the onions are very tender, about 12 minutes. Gently stir in the chestnuts and parsley. Transfer the onion mixture to the large bowl with the pancetta. Add the bread and Parmesan and toss to coat. Add enough broth to the stuffing mixture to moisten. Season the stuffing, to taste, with salt and pepper. Mix in the eggs.
Transfer the stuffing to the prepared dish. Cover with buttered foil, buttered side down, and bake until the stuffing is heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the top is crisp and golden, about 15 minutes longer.[p]

JD McGee

mad max beyond eggdome,[p]Thanks Max...since we're swapping recipes...here's one I found at Williams-Sonoma that looks pretty good.[p]Wild Mushroom, Chestnut & Sausage Dressing

When the first European settlers landed on American shores, they found an abundance of mushrooms growing wild in the forests. Hence, wild mushrooms are a fitting addition to our Thanksgiving dressing. We call for dried mushrooms, which lend a wonderful texture and depth of flavor. The mushroom soaking liquid enhances the earthy character of the dish. [p]2 oz. dried wild mushrooms
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth, warmed
1 lb. French bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 Tbs. olive oil
4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
1 1/2 cups prepared French chestnuts, halved
12 oz. mild fresh Italian sausage, casings
removed
3 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste [p]In a bowl, combine the dried mushrooms and hot broth and soak for 1 hour. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the broth. Roughly chop the mushrooms, transfer to a large bowl and set aside. [p]Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a baking dish or small Dutch oven. [p]In a bowl, combine the bread cubes and olive oil and stir to coat. Spread the bread cubes out on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden and crunchy, 15 to 20 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the mushrooms. [p]In a saute pan over medium heat, melt 3 Tbs. of the butter. Add the onion and celery and saute, stirring often, until soft and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the chestnuts and cook for 2 minutes. Transfer the onion mixture to the bowl with the bread. [p]Return the pan to medium heat and melt the remaining 1 Tbs. butter. Add the sausage and cook, stirring and crumbling with the back of a wooden spoon, until the sausage is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add to the bowl with the bread and stir in the parsley and sage. [p]In a saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the reserved broth. Add enough broth to the bread mixture so it is moist. Season with salt and pepper. [p]Transfer the dressing to the prepared baking dish and bake until crispy and golden, about 1 hour, covering the dish with aluminum foil if the dressing gets too dark. Serves 8 to 10. [p]Make-Ahead Tips: Assemble the dressing and place in the baking dish up to 1 day in advance, but do not bake. Cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove from the refrigerator 1 hour before baking. [p]Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.[p]JD

AZ Traveler

JD McGee,
That is one great looking loaf. Keep up the great work. AZ

Whack Masterson

JD McGee,
Lookin' good JD. My wife cooked a mean foccaccia and some loaves with that starter I was telling you about. If you do not already have it, look at 'The Bread Bakers' Apprentice' by Peter Reinhart. I just purchased it a couple of weeks ago and have been having fun baking some of his recipes. I have many of his previous works and find the prose entertaining and the recipes well structured and explained. Take care and keep baking that bread and pizza...[p]Whack