Focaccia and Ciabatta
So of course I had to center my lunch around these guys!!
I had a small (~1.25 oz) piece of each bread. And I topped the ciabatta with jam for “dessert.” The focaccia is about 87 kcal per ounce (thanks to EVOO) and the ciabatta is 70 kcal per ounce.
And I made salmon salad (added pickles and jalapeños again – delicious!)
Plus hot tea. It’s freezing in this house. I would love to put the heat up to 70* (I think 72* is optimal!) but I know better for energy/the environment/our bills. I’ve been under a down blanket reading all morning!
Total lunch kcal were about 430. I’m missing fruit and dairy here (I aim for protein, veggies, grains, dairy and fruit in my lunch), but both were too cold to prepare. I’ll try to fit them into a snack later on.
Oh yeah, and IT’S SNOWING NOW!!!!
A Message from The Husband
These breads were delicious! Perfect texture in almost every way. I wanted to make a comment here because I figured some of the readers would be very interested in these bread recipes so I just want to explain one thing. For most recipes out there, the concern is “what combination of ingredients did you use,” but for these breads the ingredients are fairly simple but the process was detailed and difficult. Ciabatta is defined by its hard crust and fluffy, airy crumb. To achieve this, you have to use a heavily saturated dough. Imagine trying to knead and fold muffin batter – that’s exactly what it was like. And I have to say, during the process I was very skeptical that it was going to come out well, but I gotta give credit to Hamelman – his methodology is perfect. The focaccia used the same methods, though I added some cornmeal and olive oil.
So I just wanted to say again that I get GREAT satisfaction out of sharing recipes and knowledge, but these bread recipes aren’t ideal for the novice baker (not like I’m some super baker, but I’ve had a bit of practice). If you seriously want the recipe, don’t hesitate to ask – I’ll put it up quickly, but if you’re a bit daunted by it, I’d recommend trying the Rustic Bread recipe first (in the comments of last night’s dinner post). That one also requires dealing with a pretty liquidy dough, but not as much as these, so it’s a good start. Happy baking!
Fig says
OMG! Kath Thank You!!!!!
I just had your pumpkin cake concoction with graham crackers on top.
I loved it!!!!
Maria says
Kath, I think I'm adding 'baker' to the qualities I look for in a future husband. 🙂 The awesome crust on that ciabatta is making me drool …
Kath says
Fig,
Maybe I'll have it this afternoon too!!! Oh wait, I'm out of graham sticks 🙁 But so glad you liked it!!
Kath
Fig says
woa that was some fast posting lol. Liked it wasnt the term used…lol…more like loved it.
Fig says
btw i bought graham sticks also but the organic Natures Promise brand
Marcy says
Does your chocolate cake have pumpkin in it too? Is it filling? It looks kinda strange (I eat weird looking food, I just can't tell from the pic what its like).
Lauren says
Homemade bread looks so good on a winter day! It's supposed to snow here too…which isn't quite so exciting being that it's NY, but snow in Manhattan is always kind of interesting.
I *also* want to thank you for your pumpkin cake recipe. Maybe it's the chilly weather, but that seems to be a very popular recipe among your readers today! I actually made it for breakfast and absolutely loved it. Even my boyfriend, who claims to dislike pumpkin, commented on how good it looked and smelled. It was delicious! I'm going to make it for both of us next time…I know that he'll be a pumpkin convert.
Nicole Roselli says
could you post those recipes? i'm a baker myself and would love to try them!!
Alex says
I am so jealous. If I had to pick only one food to have for the rest of my life, it would be bread. And ciabatta and focaccia are two of my three favorites (the third would be Italian stretch). Your husband rocks my world.
I know there are a couple of people who read this from Syracuse, so I wanted to say that if you have never been to Pasta's Daily Bread (or Pastabilities, the restaurant across the street) in the downtown area, go. Now. The Italian stretch bread from there is my absolute favorite – my mom used to send it to me when I was in college across the country and I get at least one loaf every time I'm back in town.
Sorry this was long… but I loooooove bread. It gets me going. (In fact, I think I'll just go eat some now.)
VeggieGirl says
The husband is quite a baker!! The bread looks spectacular!!
Andrea says
I agree – I hope my future hubby can cook like yours!! i notice in a lot of your pictures there are pills next to the plate… what type of vitamins do you take/recommend? i'm thinking i should be taking one because i don't eat too much meat…but i'm not sure how frequently/what type is best
p.s. I love your new photo!
suze says
The bread looks great! I also just made a great loaf and I had a suggestion: if you don't own Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice" or "Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor", I highly recommend them. Although a bit pricey ($35 each), they all provide the best techniques and recipes for any serious bread bakers. Take care & love the blog!!
B_healthy says
i was wondering too- so your "chocolate cake" has the 1/2 c of pumpkin in it also… ?
My future fiance cooks amazing meals but he is no baker… I don't care much for "bread" so I think thats good! but i do admire how much your hubby plays a role in your blog/dietary habits…
the husband says
Thanks for the other bread book recommendations. When I looked on Amazon, I saw many disparaging remarks about Reinhart's books on the comments to Hamelman's, plus my uncle recommended Hamelman (he's a baker/bagelman in Oak Ridge, TN). Maybe I'll do some "browsing" next time I'm in a book store. I must say, because Hamelman teaches you how to use baker's percentages and create your own recipes, I doubt I will ever need a "recipe" book again – but "technique" books are always welcome (this is why I love Alton Brown's books – no matter how skilled you are, you can still use them, unlike recipe collections)
Jo says
I thought I'd let you know that today I tried the honey wheat bread recipe the husband posted a few days ago, and it turned out SO well. I just made a traditional 9X5 loaf, but it is beautiful (I added an egg wash for extra visual appeal)–and delicious, too. I might try it with add-ins next time, like walnuts or sunflower seeds, but I wanted it to be "pure" this time.
Like Suze, I also have a couple of book recommendations for the next time you have a spare $35+ sitting around: Rose Levy Berenbaum's "The Bread Bible" and Peter Reinhart's "Crust and Crumb." My husband is usually the bread baker in our family, too (though I like to think I got him hooked), and he relies on those books.
Thanks so much for the effort you both put into this blog. If I try one of the other recipes, I'll let you know.
the husband says
and now, the BREAD RECIPES:
First thing to know, I took Hamelman's Ciabatta recipe and split it to make 1/3 ciabatta and the other 2/3 was used for the focaccia.
Second, the recipe I used gave the measurements in U.S. weights, but I converted to grams because they're more accurate. As a result of this, as well as splitting the dough for ciabatta and focaccia, I have no idea what the volume measurements are. If you need to convert, 135g = 1C flour
Third, this recipe used a pre-ferment, which I divided into 1/3 and 2/3 as noted before. I will try to make this as clear as possible but because it's so fresh in my mind I might forget a step, so don't hesitate to ask if you have questions.
Fourth, I made these recipes simultaneously, with the focaccia approx 30 mins behind the ciabatta. Here we go:
PRE-FERMENT (it's called a poolish when it's equal parts flour and water like this)
272g bread flour
272g water
1/4t instant yeast
(TOTAL WEIGHT = 543g)
-Disperse yeast in water, mix in flour until absorbed. Cover and allow to ripen for 12-16 hours.
CIABATTA
181g poolish
211g bread flour
130g water
5g salt
1g yeast
1) Place all ingredients in mixing bowl, stir until combined, then mix 3 mins on first speed and 3 mins on second speed. Dough will be like pancake batter, but when pulled, gluten will be noticeable (the "batter" will seem to pull around in strands)
2) Pour dough into HEAVILY floured bowl or surface, and ferment for 3 hours covered. Fold after the 1st and 2nd hour, always keeping the seam side up. Fold quickly and vigorously, with floured hands, but make sure not to incorporate too much dry flour between folds – just a dusting (meaning you will have to brush off a little flour after each fold). After the second fold, lightly stretch dough towards a rectangular shape. Stop stretching if/when you feel the surface rip.
3) After 3 hour ferment and folding, allow to rise for 1.5 hours. Every 30 minutes you need to lightly stretch dough into a longer rectangle as before. Go slowly each time, always with lots of flour to ensure no sticking to ANYTHING. Aim for approx 4in in width. The seam side should still be up.
4) When 30 minutes of the final rise remain, preheat oven to 460*. When rise is complete and oven preheated, quickly flip dough over onto floured sheet pan (do not slash). Splash 1oz water into oven and bake for 25 mins. Color should be medium to dark. Do not cover as it cools. Enjoy!
FOCACCIA
One thing to note: I made Alton Brown's focaccia a few weeks ago and it was pretty good, but I vowed that I would use more cornmeal than he called for. Hamelman actually does not use any cornmeal, and what I'm learning is that "focaccia" has been Americanized to mean a soft, dry-crumb, herby bread. Apparently real Italian focaccia is basically ciabatta with pizza toppings. So I'm sorry to all you cantankerous Italians who are mad at me for besmirching your good bread, but here's what I made:
362g poolish
90g cornmeal
334g bread flour
261 g water
11g salt
2g yeast
1T fresh rosemary, chopped
3T EV olive oil
1) Add all but rosemary and oil to mixer, stir to combine. Mix 3 mins on first speed. Mix 3 mins on second speed, adding rosemary and olive oil. Dough will be less sticky than ciabatta, but still pretty sticky. Look for similar gluten development.
2) Pour dough onto HEAVILY floured surface or bowl. Ferment for 3 hours, covered. Fold after 1st hour and 2nd hour. Same deal with the seam side up, heavily floured hands and surface. Instead of stretching into a thin rectangle like the ciabatta, with the focaccia we're looking for a broad rectangle (look at the pictures).
3) The final rise is 1.5 hours again, and every 30 mins you should lightly stretch the dough into the desired rectangle, but make sure not to rip the dough.
4) With 30 minutes remaining (hopefully your ciabatta is in the oven right now), flip the dough seam side down onto a pan. I used a jelly-roll pan, 10.5 x 15.5 and it was the perfect size. Ten minutes before baking, dimple the surface every 2 inches with a floured finger. Then pour 1.5T olive oil over the surface. Bake for 25 mins, with same "steam" tactic, until deep brown in color. Cover as it cools. Yum!
ATTENTION: The recipes above are what I did. There is one change I would make to the focaccia: I would only put 1T olive oil in the dough, and drizzle 2.5T on top. This will slightly reduce the calories, but I don't think the oil in the dough had enough of an effect. ALSO, I wish I had put 2T of chopped rosemary – it just wasn't enough. That stuff is so fragrant, but the actual taste is very bitter, so I erred on the lower side.
I wish you luck!
the husband says
I'm SO happy the bread turned out for you, Jo. I have an idea for a bread with some good mix-ins that will be called "Kath's Breakfast Bread." In case you didn't guess, it will have oats, flax, and walnuts! I'll let y'all know when I make it.
Kath says
SO GLAD you guys like the pumpkin cake recipe!
Alex,
My former company was headquartered in Syracuse and I ate at Pastabilities about a year ago. It was a GIANT family-style meal and I totally pigged out on everything – it was SO GOOD! The breads, and the dessert – oh my gosh. Too bad I'll probably never go to Syracuse again 🙁
Andrea,
You're right, that's a vitamin. I take One a Day Women's (well, a generic version). I thought I was getting all of my required vits and minerals until I did a complete 3-day diet analysis this fall for my nutrition course and found out I was actually short on a few. So I take one now to cover my bases, as they say.
B_healthy,
Yes, the chocolate one is made with pumpkin and cocoa powder. The recipe is in the recipe list.
Yay for bread lovers and bakers!
Kath