Add the flour, yeast and salt to a mixing bowl. Try to keep the yeast and salt on separate sides of the bowl when you add. If use a Kitchen Aid mixer with a bowl and dough hook, that will make your bread making life easy.

Then gradually add water and start mixing on medium speed with the dough hook (or blending and beating up by hand if you don't have a dough hook). This will mix the ingredients and break down the gluten. With a machine, it will take about 10-15 minutes.

While waiting, prepare a square or rectangular plastic or glass tub(a 4″ square all around will work well). Then lightly coat the proofing container with olive oil before proofing.

When the dough has been mixed and worked enough (10-15 minutes), it's ready for proofing. Slip off the dough hook and place directly in the proofing container. Close the top or put a piece of plastic wrap on top and let the dough proof for 3 hours or more at room temperature. You can also leave overnight.

When proofing is near done (minimum of 3 hours), prepare a baking sheet with sprinkled flour or bench flour. You can use any bench flour you like, including semolina flour. I like to keep it simple and stick with the flour I used for making the bread (so whole wheat in this case).

After the dough has proofed enough, you can pour out slowly, letting the dough land on the flour on the baking sheet. It will maintain the same square or rectangular shape that it was sitting, making the final shapes more uniform.

Then cut 3 same-size rectangular loaf pieces. I use a pizza roller but you can alternatively use a professional flat bread cutter tool where you make sharp straight down cuts.

Then add a little bench flour sprinkle to the top of the bread loaves.

Let the dough on the baking sheet rest for about 15 minutes before placing in the pre-heated 350℉ / 175℃ oven.

Bake for about 25 minutes (adjust as needed as each oven is slightly different).

I leave the bread in the oven a little longer after I turn off the heat, just to give the bread a 'lil more crunch.And presto!… you have better or as good as fresh store bought or restaurant prepared ciabatta.

You can eat and enjoy the ciabatta while it’s still piping warm.