Potato and Leek Soup with Ciabatta Bread

Our kids grew up with a plethora of homemade soups especially in the autumn months so it is only natural that they make their own homemade soups now that they are adults.  The beauty of homemade soups is even with starting out with a few common ingredients the soup can take a whole direction of its own.  The end result is an entirely new creation!

We recently took a day to go visit our grandkids in two Ontario communities.  One of our kids made a lovely potato and leek soup for lunch.  It differed from my potato and leek soup in that no stock had been used to make the soup.  Yet the soup was rich, creamy and full of flavour!

The soup was served with ciabatto bread.  Ciabatto means slipper.  According to the kids this bread is all the rage in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA).  The modern version has only been made since 1982 and it was introduced to North American in 1990s by the Cleveland firm, Orlando Bakeries.  The bread has crisp crust with an open, airy appearance with a dense crumb.  The characteristic flavour and appearance is from the sponge the bread starts with, similar to sourdough bread.  I will be testing a couple of ciabatto recipies this week so watch for that recipe with my comments.