I made two loaves of ciabatta this week. I followed Erin Jean McDowell's recipe on Food52. I love everything that woman does. I have made ciabatta one other time, but it was not very successful. It didn't rise very much, so it wasn't airy and holey, but flat and tough. This round was much more successful. It was tangy, airy, and chewy inside. I'm not sure why my first batch didn't rise, but this batch almost tripled in size in an hour. Ciabatta dough is very wet; it's practically liquid and not very shapable, which is why the loaves are pretty rustic. Ciabatta translates to "slipper" in Italian, which refers to the shape of a ciabatta loaf. The dough sort of blobs out, and you fold it into place. I used my ciabatta loaves for croutons for a caesar salad, (the best) eggs and toast, bread crumbs, and simply eating with butter and salt.

I also started back to school this week, not class, but working at a continuing education dinner with Chef Katie Van Dyke. The dinners are currently take-and-bake due to Covid-19. I highly recommend her dinners. The food is lovely and delicious.

Next week, I have my second year spring semester orientation. I am beginning my final semester. I can't believe it. I also just submitted my application for the France scholarship. I will have an interview later this week, and I find out if the selection committee selected me in mid-February. 🤞🏻