Ciabatta, mi amore

Bread this good makes me want to simultaneously toss out my law degree to open a bakery and never bake again.  On the one hand, I think that I have finally arrived as a baker par excellence and that I should share my gift with the world(!!!!!).  On the other hand, I despair of ever making a loaf of bread this wonderful again.  This bread is perfect.

 
For once, I have no words.  In fact, I'm having trouble even typing this because I'm so busy shoving slices of this delicious bread in my mouth.  With a glass of wine and a few slices of cheese, it's as close to paradise as anyone has a right to be on a Monday night. 

So first, let's give credit where credit is due:  The River Cottage Bread Handbook.  This recipe put me off at first because it looked time consuming and different from the other recipes I have tackled recently.  I was sure that the author couldn't mean it when he said to fold the dough in three "like a blanket" multiple times during the rising period.  Not only did he mean it, he was completely right about what it did for the dough.  The air pockets in both the dough and the finished loaves are divine.  My concerns about the time-intensive process proved unfounded, too.  To be sure, you need to set aside about five hours to follow this recipe, but I was doubly rewarded by the sheer amount of bread it made and by the gift of time broken up into 30 minutes increments - perfect for cleaning my house.  Moreover, the ratio of water to flour is perfect and kneading the dough didn't give me sore arms.  The olive oil and semolina give the bread a rich, farmhouse taste.  In conclusion, this is the airiest, softest, most subtly flavorful bread I have ever made.  I am in love.