Ciabatta Bread Facts

The word "ciabatta" means "slipper" in Italian. Ciabatta bread has the long, thin, soft and slightly formless shape of a slipper. Baked with white flour, ciabatta is high in carbohydrates and low in fiber. The nutrition, like that of most white breads, is dependent on the "enrichment" of the white flour. The taste and the distinctive crunch of the crust, however, leaves most white breads far behind in flavor.

Origin

Ciabatta comes from northern Italy. There it is called "pane Francese" or French bread. Nobody is sure how it got that name, but it may be a nod to the French influences on the cuisine of northern Italy. According to Joe Ortiz, author of "The Village Baker," ciabatta is regional bread of the Lake Como area in northern Italy. People in that area call it "pane di Como" after Lake Como.

Making Ciabatta

Ciabatta is made using nothing more than yeast, flour, water and salt. The yeast is mixed with a little bit of flour to make a yeast starter, which can take 15 to 24 hours to rise. Once incorporated into the bread dough, the starter provokes a slow, four-hour rise of the dough itself. This slow rise, which allows the yeast to grow, mature and work their magic, is what gives ciabatta its depth of flavor. Ciabatta dough is very moist and loose. Rather than trying to form this loose, sticky dough into loaves, bakers simply stretch it into the classic ciabatta shape. When baked in a brick oven, the moist dough opens up to form an open, airy crumb with a crisp crust.

Traditional Uses

Ciabatta is too flat to slice vertically for sandwiches. Given the crisp, thick crust, slicing it horizontally can be hazardous. Traditionally, Italians tore of a chunk of ciabatta to eat with their meal. Sometimes they used it as a trencher, a plate made from bread. Stale ciabatta made an excellent plate. It was flat and firm. Juices from the meal would drip into the bread and soften it. Once the meal was done, the bread was tender enough to eat.

Modern Uses

In modern times, the ciabatta has evolved into fast food. In 1985, Marks & Spencer introduced ciabatta to British shoppers. It was fast and simple, but had an upmarket appeal that fish and chips lacked. In the United States, Jack in the Box was the first fast food outlet to offer ciabatta bread instead of a classic burger bun. Soon McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King were offering their own ciabatta, some with burgers, some with breakfast sandwiches. These fast food variations on ciabatta bread lack the soft, free-form shape of the classic ciabatta loaf, not to mention the flavor of natural, slow-rise bread.