There’s a type of bread for every palate and preference out there, from chewy sourdough to buttery brioche to light and airy ciabatta. Ciabatta is a classic Italian bread that’s perfect for dipping in olive oil or using as the base of a sandwich, and it's fairly simple to make at home, so long as you use a stand mixture.

Since ciabatta uses a lot of water to create a dough with about 80% hydration, the you is extremely sticky and can be difficult to work with and shape into loaves by hand, not to mention it makes a mess. It’s best to avoid using your hands altogether and make the dough in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment.

By using a stand mixer, you can also avoid the temptation to add more flour to the dough to make it less sticky, which would ruin the airy texture that ciabatta is meant to have. If you don’t happen to own a stand mixer, don’t worry — you can make the dough in a food processor instead and achieve the same effect.