Easy Ciabatta Bread

I've made this recipe before and thought I has posted about it however it's not on the blog so I'm typing it now so I have the recipe.  I always include links as well the the original recipe however over time with blogs disappearing so does the recipe so I like to write it out here so I have it forever and also have the link for as long as it's working.

This is the Easy Ciabatta Bread Thermomix Recipe which I'm making using my TM31 Thermomix which I've had for 13 years - still going strong.

If you don't own a Thermomix you can make a similar recipe that you can make without a Thermomix.

EASY CIABATTA BREAD [THERMOMIX]

INGREDIENTS

• 500gms Bakers Flour
• 470gms Warm Water
• 2 Teaspoons Dried Yeast
• 2 Teaspoons Salt

METHOD

1. Add all ingredients to the bowl, mix on Speed 6 / for 8 seconds.
2. Let the mixture rest in the bowl for 10 minutes.
3. Turn up to Speed 9 / for 3 minutes on REVERSE.  [yes, 3 minutes] 
4. Dough will be very sticky - pour into a large well oiled bowl and let it sit for 2.5 hours until it has tripled in size.
5. Empty and scrape out the dough onto a well floured bench top.
6. Divide into 3 pieces, dust with a good amount of flour, then using a spatula shape roughly into flat balls and put on a tray with baking paper.
7. Leave to prove on the trays for 45 minutes.
8. While waiting, turn the oven to 250 degrees to heat up while proving.
9. Now, with well floured hands, pick up each dough gently and quickly flip it, stretching into a Ciabatta loaf shape [oblong].  The flipping helps spread the air bubbles - even it it looks a bit untidy, it will rise beautifully in the oven.
10. Bake at 250 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200 degrees for another 15-20 minutes until the bread is starting to brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

NOTES:-

Preparation time - 3.5 hours

Total time start to finish - 4.0 hours

Makes 3 loaves [2 large and 1 small]

Level - EASY

Around here

Well it's Spring time in Queensland however last week we had days over 30 degrees and Saturday was 35 degrees [95F] so looks like Summer is going to be be a hot one.

It's my Birthday month and in fact Teddy is one year old on the 11th September also so two Birthdays in this household.

I have found an exercise class that suits me which is about 10 minutes drive away and have been going 3 mornings a week with yoga/Pilates on a Saturday.  I don't love exercise but I know as we age we need to make it a priority to keep our bones strong and healthy.  I also took up a tennis/fitness class this term and we have 2 nights left then it's school holidays and I've enrolled in Term 4 which runs 11 weeks one night a week.

My sister is coming over from Perth for a week's visit so will be spending lots of family time together which will be great.

Here's some recent photos and photos of the Pink Cockatoo [Major Mitchell] bird that is in my suburb.

Home grown lettuce

I have two of these birds in my backyard which started out as babies.

Teddy

This is a pink cockatoo [formerly known as Major Mitchell] and he runs with the white cockatoo's in our area and this day I was lucky enough that he was sitting on a fence post behind my house.

Here he is again as it was overcast and starting to rain.  They have the same colour on his crest underneath his wings when he flies....so amazing.  See these images.

My neighbour goes fishing on his boat and brought me back this snapper which I cooked up with a butter garlic sauce and OMG it was to die for.....yummmmm

Some B&W film Scans I took on my Canon AE-1 Film Camera

Around here

Both kids are still overseas having a great time.  I'm so happy they are experiencing different cultures and learning about history.  I still find it hard to believe they are out in the world travelling at 20 and 18.

Winter in Queensland has been very mild with days around 21-23 degrees and lows of 11.  This week we will have a low of 7 and 8 degrees and highs of 16-19 degrees so 16 is cold for us Queenslanders.

I have been taking Teddy to the dog park for half an hour in the morning and in the afternoon which he is loving.  He needs to run around and wear out some of that energy.  This morning there were 3 Teddy's at the dog park all slightly different breeds but all looking like Teddy's.

I do have a lovely backyard for him but he can't be trusted as he's into the pop plants eating dirt and last week he reached over into the newly planted veggie patch and took a plastic tag which he proceeded to run away with it in his mouth.  My sister and I chased him for over 5 minutes until we could catch him and get it out of his mouth.  He can run at lightening speed and even with two of us and a lead on him we were exhausted from trying to get him.  Billy who I used to mind was very trustworthy by himself in the backyard as he is much older but Teddy gets into everything which is a shame because we would spend more time out there.  When I was weeding the garden and planting he had to be inside in his playpen so he is safe and the rest of my house and belongings are safe too.

Here's some old pics from the archives.  Have a good week.

Autumn leaves

  Rainbow Bay, Queensland

Playing the Flute

Me at Lone Pine in my School Sports Uniform would be either Grade 8, 9 or 10.

Tweed Heads

Camping at Thunderbird Park, Mt Tamborine.

Our beautiful bird Bluey who used to say "I LOVE YOU" no longer with us.

One of Sienna's shop set up and she made the pig money box out of a tissue box & toilet rolls

Playing Dora the Explorer Memory Game.

Around here - July 2024

Around here I've been thinking a lot about simple living and I've mentioned before how my Mothering days are very different now with the kids leading their own lives. They are both overseas at the moment in different countries one in Japan for 2 weeks and the other one in Europe for 3 weeks holiday.  I honestly am so proud of them for being confident to explore different countries and saving for their holidays.

I've been looking through old blog posts and I know that everything I did teaching them to save money, op shopping [they buy new things to but love an op shop bargain] cooking, budgeting, growing veggies etc. this is what shapes young adults.  I've mentioned that my son has been making his own Turkish Bread to have with dips and drinks for a cheap date night.  My daughter is a great cook also, great at sewing, crochet, knitting and they both have a great work ethic.

Here's some old blog posts with cute photos:-

Home made dumplings.

Home Made Vanilla

Planting veggies - 8 years old

Veggie Garden in 2017

Enjoy these old photos below.

Fresh picked sugar snap peas.

Home Grown Sugar Snap Peas.

  Country Fair.

School holiday camping in the family room.

A photo my daughter took for me which we both loved.

We used to walk up to the main road to the one tree that dropped leaves each year to take photos.

She was always busy with her hands.

He was amazing at the Rubik cube even doing it blindfolded by learning algorithms.

Family pic while bush walking.

We loved this Farm Stay at Blackwattle Farm back in 2017.

Hope you all have a great week.

Around Here - June 2024

My last blog post was in March and as the kids are grown up and not home much my life has definitely changed and I miss the good old days of afternoon tea at the bench after school, spending weekends with them and hanging around at home making pizza's and watching movies.  Life just goes by so fast and I honestly wish I could do it all over again.  Although as hard as it is being a single parent, being a stay home Mum to them is my greatest joy and accomplishment.

It's Queensland School Holidays here at the moment and although I don't have kids at school it means my friends are away on holidays and Billy [the dog] would normally come to stay at my place. Having both Billy and my puppy Teddy over Easter for 10 days it was too much for me as Billy is an older dog and chill and Teddy is a puppy and full of energy and so Teddy annoyed Billy a lot and I was up and down sorting them out.  It didn't help that they were both inside for 10 days as it rained the whole time.  Teddy is just too young at the moment so Billy has gone to stay with a relative this holidays.

I still feel a bit lost, because for the last 20 years I have been Mothering giving me my sense of purpose.  Also my photography bought me so much joy photographing our lives so I had the best of both worlds documenting our day to day and my passion for photography.  I don't even pick up my camera now which makes me sad and I'm not sure what to photograph that would bring me joy.  I haven't worked out my new life so to speak but lately I have been going over lovely simple living blogs and all the things that brought me joy for years.  I need to get back into growing veggies and weed my garden this week because picking home grown fresh produce brought me joy and even though the two beds are quite small 1.3m x 1.3m I know I really enjoy it when it's planted out.  I'll need to put the nets on both veggie beds otherwise Teddy will get into them.  

Both my kids are going overseas on separate holidays to different countries in the next week and I couldn't be more proud of them.  I have to say I'm so proud of the way I raised them both and the life skills I taught them about saving, spending, baking, crochet, sewing etc. they are both well rounded amazing kids.  When my 20 year old son makes home made Turkish Bread to take to his friends place to have dips with, it brings me joy knowing how skilled they both are.  To be honest I don't think any of my friends 20 year sons would be doing that and that's where I see all the "life skills" I taught them shining through.

I hardly ever get sick anymore however for the past week I've had a virus [coughing, sneezing, runny noise] but it's going around and even my sister in Perth had it for the past 2 weeks. I've had it for 8 days now but I'm on the mend.  The last time I was sick was with "C" back in June 2022.

On Channel 9 TV there is a 4 part television series called Do you want to live forever.  It's a 12 week experiment with 4 sets of people with varying ages and they take them through things like stress levels, sleep, diet, exercise etc and see where they are now and give them a biological age vs their actual age.  All the participants were much older than their actual years and the idea is that they will reduce it to get back to their real age.  I love watching these type of shows as it's a reminder of your own health.  Health is Wealth as without it, nothing else matters.  They also go to Japan and explore "IKIGAI" and find out there is over 1000 centenarians living in Okinawa.  I wrote about "IKIGAI" in this blog post.

Another series I loved watching on NETFLIX was called "Live to 100 - Secrets of the Blue Zones" it's all about living well into later years not just being alive at 100.  It's about being fit and healthy and of sound mind which as we age it becomes very important.

Since I haven't taken any new photos I thought I would randomly post some old pics.

The kids and I at Redcliffe, Queensland.

Yummy Fish & Chips at Doug's at Sandgate, Queensland.

Back in 2011 when we moved into our house planting some flowers.

Sienna found a penny turtle in the local creek and cried all the way home

because I wouldn't let her bring it with us.

Sienna loves insects and she found this big earth worm while we were camping.

Sienna always had insects in her hands.

James after he went over on his handlebars of his bike on the way to school.

James teaching himself guitar.

Sienna learning the flute at school.

James AFL club where the half time entertainment at one of the Brisbane Lions Games at the GABBA.

Sienna loved her loom band making bracelets.

One of my all time favourite iPhone photos taken in the kitchen in our pj's.

Sienna was always crafty so she made herself an indoor fire so she could toast marshmallows.

Always doing handstands.

Our lovely veggie patch with Sienna getting some snow peas.

I took the kids camping to Thunderbird Park years ago.

They did the high ropes while we were there.

Well I hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane as much as I did.  I think that's what I'll have to do from now on revisit precious memories of the past.  Have a good week.