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No knead Ciabatta Bread and Piperies Florinis Dip (Red Sweet Peppers)

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Piperies Florinis are red long sweet peppers, named after the prefecture of Florina, in Norther Greece, where they are produced.

I read that these Florina red sweet peppers have been growing in Florina for centuries and date back to antiquity.  They were probably brought back to Macedonia from India by the descendants of the troops of Alexander the Great.

I love grilling these peppers in the oven and then they are easily peeled, seeds removed and remain with a succulent thick wall.  They have a lovely sweet flesh and flavour and are absolutely delicious.

Red Peppers are a great source of vitam C, double the quantity found in citrus.  Vitamin C is important as it helps absord the iron and calcium and other amino acids.  They also contain vitamin A, lycopene and beta carotene.

These peppers have a succulent thick wall, and are easy to peel after pan roasting. They have an absolutely delicious, rich ripe pepper flavor, full-bodied and not overly sweet.

This recipe goes to Simona, of Briciole, who is hosting this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, started by Kalyn and now managed by Haalo.

To roast Peppers

12 Florinis peppers

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

Piperies Florinis Dip, recipe by Ivy

(makes about 3 cups)

Ingredients:

12 roasted, skinned and deseeded peppers

6 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 – 3 large cloves garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

See how to roast Piperies Florinis here.

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and puree.

I made this bread and dip at the beginning of May.  The 1st of May was on Saturday and as it is a public holiday, on Friday we had to buy bread for three days.  As I didn’t want to eat stale bread on Sunday, I wanted to make bread myself and after google searching for recipes, I decided to make this easy ciabatta.

Ciabatta which is an Italian bread from the region of Liguria and in Italian ciabatta literally means “carpet slipper” is  made with wheat flour and yeast.   The loaf is somewhat elongated, broad and flattish and, like a slipper, should be somewhat collapsed in the middle.

I used a bread flour I bought from my local bakery, called “starenio” in Greece and which is a yellowish like semolina hard wheat floor.

The bread had a crisp crust, a somewhat soft, porous texture, and was light to the touch.  Ciabatta is also perfect for making sandwiches which are known as panini.

I followed the directions given in the video and left the bread for 14 hours to rest (instead of 16). The next day after shaping the bread, I left it for two hours to rise and baked it for about 45 minutes.

No knead Ciabatta Bread

Makes: 1 bread (700 grams)

Ingredients:

4 cups bread flour (500 grams)

42 grams fresh yeast

1 ½ tsp salt

2 cups lukewarm water

Directions:

See the video for step by step instructions.

To serve:

Cut slices of ciabatta, place them on a baking tin and roast them in a preheated oven for 10 minutes.  While the bread is still hot, add some Red pepper dip and crumble some feta on top, sprinkle some oregano and put back in the oven for 2 – 3 more minutes.

For those following the Mediterranean Diet, if you want to cut down the calories and avoid eating protein, after roasting the bread, you can still enjoy it by only spreading some pepper dip on top.

 

Serve while still hot!

Kopiaste and Kali Orexi!

About Ivy Liacopoulou

Ivy Liacopoulou grew up in Limassol, Cyprus, a beautiful island in the eastern Mediterranean, where her passion for cooking began as a child, helping her mother in the kitchen. Ivy belongs to a new generation of home cooks who loves to experiment and create new recipes of her own. She is the author of two cookbooks and she owns and manages Cooking Classes, in Nafplio, Peloponnese.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Peter G

    I love the bread recipes you post on your blog…that no knead ciabatta looks amazing! As for the piperies…mmm…they are so divine. Love the dip too…it reminds me of summer.

  2. pixen

    uh huh…when I read NO KNEAD CIABATTA, I had to have this recipe!!! 😀 Yep i love fresh and hot ciabattas and no knead is a plus because i need to work fast and monitor my hyper 4 year old who showed interests in gadgets whenever I'm in the kitchen. Thanks for sharing and my next trip back to Greece ..I have to find the Piperis Florinis 🙂

  7. Cakelaw

    I am totally in love with this rich red dip – remindsme of the one I get from Cleos (and can again now that I have moved!).

  8. Simona

    I love the color of the dip! Here we get the summer vegetables later, due to our cooler climate, so I need to exercise patience and wait a bit longer for tomatoes, peppers, melons, etc.

  9. tasteofbeirut

    Ivy
    Firstly, you wet my appetite with these peppers and then you make me ravenous with the ciabatta: and then you make me want to go to the kitchen immediately and start making it! no knead, really? I can't wait to make it when I get to Lebanon.

    • ivyliac

      Joumana, there is absolutely no knead involved at all. The procedure is very easy, you just make the dough but you have to wait for a lot of hours for it to bubble and bake.

  12. Anh

    Great bread, and the dip sounds wonderful. I have a mixture of both sweet and hot peppers… This gives me an idea of how to use them. Thank you!

    • ivyliac

      Hi Anh. Thanks for passing by and hope to see you again. If you like some heat in your dip by all means this would be great.

  13. Reeni

    I can imagine this bread hot of the oven with a big scoop of pepper dip is simply divine! I am a big fan of no-knead bread – will definitely try this one.

  14. Nadji

    Je n'ai jamais fait cette recette de pain. Je la note.
    j'adore ta crème de poivrons. j'en fais souvent aussi.
    A bientôt.

  16. Juliana

    Ivy, I will definitely try your bread…it sure looks so yummie…and the dip is a great match for the bread…

  20. BenHerrera

    Roasted peppers are the best! And that bread looks amazing. I need to try to make more no-knead bread because it is so easy to make and the results are always fantastic.

  22. jswching

    Thx for the video, I would love to try making cibatta too. Also i still have not try roasting red peppers, it has been in my to cook list for a long time, always feel reluctant that it's difficult to make. Your dip sounds very inviting! great for home party!

  23. γαστεροπλήξ

    καλώς σε βρήκα στο blog-ο-σπιτάκι σου με τις ωραίες νοστιμιές
    soula matsi ή μαγειρικά γαστεροπλήξ

  24. s

    the dip looks outstanding…lovely colour..and the bread…I cant believe its so easy….

  26. Teresa

    Hola Ivy. I've missed talking to you but I try to keep up with you on fb. I love peppers and these sound delicious. And that no-knead bread sounds ike something I would definitely like to try. My hands don't always feel like kneading, so this sounds perfect. Big hugs querida amiga.

  28. Cheryl

    I'm so glad you posted a recipe for the dip. I love Florinis!
    I will try making the bread soon. BTW…I just used your pizza crust recipe the other day. The kids love pizza with that crust.
    Have a nice weekend Ivy!
    My recent post A Trip to the Market

  29. Lazaro

    Wonderful post. Love the sweet red pepper dip. Look forward to following you here!

    Cheers!