My husband really likes bread bowls, especially with chili or salad, but it’s not something I’ve ever tried to make from scratch. A friend had made this Ciabatta recipe one night for dinner and had mentioned how easy it was so I decided to give it a try. I think I’ve mentioned before that I get nervous every time I have to bake yeast breads. I’m always scared I won’t knead it enough or that it won’t rise the way it’s supposed to. Putting those fears aside I decided to just try it and see what happened.

When it comes to the actual ingredients and putting those together, this couldn’t be easier. My friend kneads her dough by hand, but I don’t trust myself to do that yet so I just used the stand mixer instructions since we don’t have a bread machine. If you follow the stand mixer instructions be sure to withhold the olive oil while mixing initially and then add it later. I made the mistake of not timing my kneading but I don’t think I did it long enough so that’s something I’d make sure to do next time since my bread came out a little dense.

I didn’t really notice the dough rise during the first 15 minute rising period, but thankfully I could tell it had risen during the 45 minute rising period. I let mine bake for around 25 minutes, but upon cutting into the loaf they could have used another 5 minutes so I’ll make that adjustment next time. All in all, this was a simple recipe that honestly didn’t take a ton of time (considering it’s a yeast bread recipe!). It tasted very good and was perfect for a bread bowl or just snacking. 🙂

Recipe Used: All Recipes