Italian Ciabatta is Airy, Crunchy, and Simple to Make

Wow! Another bake with Martin - I couldn’t be happier. Keep the videos coming. I’m loving every one.

Watching Martin makes me believe I can make these breads too at 84 years of age & I have. Love fresh bread takes me back to childhood & love my machine bread too. Have one of KAF & it is awesome. Thanks for your inspiration

I made the Pan de Cristal 3 times this week. I finally had success when I bought some new yeast. I might have to try this next.

Every video, where Martin and his team do their magic, inspires someone to expand their baking skills. I know I get inspiration just from hearing that crunchy crust!

Thanks Martin, love the energy and friendly explanations of the process and ingredient importance.

Wow. That dough looks beautiful. Silky. Elastic. WOW.

I started baking bread (or anything) a bit over a month ago and for my very first bread I followed the recipe for Pane de Cristal. It looked delicious and with no experience or planning I said "Let's do this." Unknown to me, it was 100% hydration and I had no skill set in folding, mixing, flouring, you name it. (An I Love Lucy situation). The recipe called for mixing, then folds every 15 to 30 minutes for 4-5 hours. I tried to follow along a video but where the dough was suppose to be on the 3rd fold, my dough was SUPER sticky and like pudding. Despite following the recipe exactly (I missed nothing), I had a mess on my hands. The video had baked a perfect loaf and I was still fighting gooeyness. My load of goo just would not respond or rise. I even added flour to get rid of the stickiness but it was impossible. After 6 hours of many periods of resting and failed attempts to fold, I was within an inch of just trashing everything and exclaiming baking wasn't for me, frustrated. Somehow I took charge and said "I'm gonna BEAT this dough into submission even if it comes out bad" and then I'll give up baking. I was using a Kitchenaid with a dough hook but my dough was always at 71°. I decided it wasn't rising right so I heated a cast iron flat pan just enough where I could barely keep my hand on it and I put the bowl of dough on top to rest for 30 mins. Finally, the dough doubled in size. Thank God. . I didn't know what proofing was, so I think that didn't matter as the dough was overworked anyways. It was so sticky though. It went into the oven sticky and unwillingly, it wouldn't slide onto my pizza stone then gravity took charge and rammed it in half onto the stone. Good grief. Frantic pull it out of a 500° oven as the oven decreased by 75° for all my effort. 😢 At least I had parchment underneath but what a misshapen piece of dough it became as I didn't know how to shape such a sticky mess. Attempt to unfold and uncrinkle, toss it in the oven and SHUT THE DOOR. Whew. I had started the recipe at 12:30pm (noon) and I worked on it for a straight 12 hours (past midnight). After 1am, it finished baking (I guess) and I let it cool off until the morning. VERDICT: It was CAKED white in thick surface flour, had to use a fork to dig it out. The crust was flat but wasn't bad at all and the crumb was super airy and well cooked. I shared it with my neighbor and they liked it, (they had to have fibbed). ANALYSIS: I didn't know I was baking an expert level bread, everything in touch of the dough was sucking the heat from it, I didn't know how to handle dough, I mistakenly kept adding flour, I didn't know what underproofed/overproofed was, the dough wasn't rising cause it was too cold, and I found there is more to baking than just following a recipe. BOTTOM LINE: I analyzed my mistakes, developed solutions and attempted ciabatta boules next, started preferments, mostly biga, then poolish and now a combination of both or preferment only baking. Turned out better. Kept baking two to four ciabattas every four days. Did a set of four baguettes. Did some 80° hydration loaves. Learned Baker's percentage, bought better tools. I can now eye and feel the dough's progress inside the mixer and outside. And I've caught the baking bug! My last two ciabattas were cold proofed 12hrs and baked wonderfully with no exterior flour and SHAPED. LESSON: If I can do it, YOU certainly can do it. I'm still a beginner but my relatives are proud of me. You cannot make as many mistakes as I did. Be confident and make that recipe. 👌

"If I'm smiling when I come from the oven, is that good?" I would be very happy with these loaves, too, Martin. Great video!

You're a great instructor. Your formulas are clean and well explained. Thank you, and keep posting more of these fantastic tutorials.

Thanks, Martin. Your videos are outstanding in every way. Your demonstration of technique and verbal descriptions of the process are of tremendous help to this novice amateur baker. Bravo.

Thank you Martin! I enjoy your teaching and learn so much!!

Made this last week, and Wow, this is really good! I also agree with prior comments about Martin, as his videos and his King Arthur recipes have taught me techniques and understanding of breadmaking. Yesterday I made Pan de Cristal following Martin's video. This is also a quite remarkable bread that needs to be experienced.

An absolutely mesmerizing video. Thank you!

Martin, you've never steered me wrong. I made a triple batch of this to take to a family event and everyone loved it. Crusty, chewy bread is our favorite and this was excellent. Thank you!

I started baking because of you! I have made the pan de Crystal and ciabatta. Still lots of room for improvement. Thanks

In just a few well-chosen words you explained "biga" in a way that no other video I've found has done. Thanks!

Thank you!! The biga is a game changer

Thank you, Martin, for another wonderful and instructive video! I feel like I always learn something new from you. You are the best!

Made this today. A little advanced for the kind of beginner I am. But loved it and cant wait to do it again. Thank you for the detailed instructions. I love all King Arthur flours.

Great video again. I first watched you make bread on a Craftsy class that I bought a long time ago. You have been a wonderful inspiration. You are more comfortable in front of the camera and it shows, which comes with practice. Love your videos.