As I recently mentioned, I’ve been trying to get better at making bread. I haven’t been having much luck. I think the kneading is the problem, so I decided to remove that step from the equation. I found this “no-knead ciabatta bread” video/recipe at the Food Wishes blog and decided it was right for me:

It seemed simple enough, so I gave it a try.

I followed the recipe exactly. The batter came together just like he said in the video, and I let the dough rise for about 19 hours. Here’s what my loaf looked like before cooking:

I let it bake for about 35 minutes. I really don’t have any experience with baking bread, so I didn’t know how to tell when it was done. I thumped the crust and it *felt done, so I took it out and let it cool.

When I sliced a few pieces, it was apparent I took it out a little too early:

The bread tasted good, but it was still a little doughy in the center. I put it back in the oven for about 8 minutes to let the interior finish cooking. After that, the bottom crust became as hard as a rock. So for anyone attempting this recipe, I would suggest baking the bread for about 42 minutes and throwing a half cup of water onto the oven floor just before closing the door. That way it will steam enough to keep the crust from getting too hard.

*Does anyone have any other suggestions on how to “know” when the bread is done, and how to keep the bottom crust from getting rock hard?

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