Ciabatta
Fool-proof Ciabatta
So when I tell you I have attempted ciabatta many times..... you get where I am going. I think I have finally figured out what works for me, and don't want you to struggle and waste countless amounts of ingredients like I have.
Ingredients:
Sponge
(make this the night before)
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/6ish tsp rapid acting yeast
- 1/2 c water
Bread
- 2 cups of flour
- ~2 tsp of salt ( I usually do less salt and add other seasonings to flavor. see my notes about other flavors)
- 1/2 tsp yeast
- 3/4 c room temp water
- 1 c room temp milk (I like using whole milk)
Instructions:
Make your sponge.
1. Mix all sponge ingredients in a mixing bowl and combine until mixed and a ball begins to form.
2. Cover and let rest for 8-24 hours. I usually make the sponge the night before I need the bread fresh
Finish your bread
1. Mix your sponge and the remainder of the ingredients: Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment at a slow speed (I 100% recommend a stand mixer because ciabatta is VERY DIFFICULT TO HANDLE because of the water content) mix the sponge with the remaining ingredients until a dough ball begins to form. Turn up the sped (slow-med) until the dough begins to collect onto the paddle attachment and no longer sticks to the sides. If this looks like it isnt going to happen, add more flour to the mix at 1 tsb at a time until it starts to peal away from the sides of the mixing bowl (usually around 5 minutes). At this point switch to the dough hook and let it run on a medium speed for about 10 minutes until it looks smooth and shiny (Picture 1).
2. PROOF. transfer your dough to a large bowl that has been lightly greased with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until it has doubled in size. This usually takes about an hour, but can vary depending on the room temperature
3. FOLD. Take a silicone spatula and grease the end with olive oil. Place the spatula under an edge and gently lift upward. Fold the dough by bringing that piece to the center of the bowl. Turn the bowl about 90 degrees and repeat this motion a handful of times. ( at least 8)
4. PROOF. Recover the bread with plastic wrap and let rise again until it has doubled in size (about 30 minutes)
5. FOLD and PROOF. Repeat steps 3-4.
6. PREP YOUR OVEN. At this point, I would start preheating your oven to 450F. Take a cookie sheet and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Fill the cookie sheet with water. This water will turn to steam and give your bread not only a beautiful color, but also that chewy crunchy crust we all love and adore.
7. DIVIDE THE LOAVES. A bit of prep is necessary for this part. Make sure that you have a pretty large area of CLEAN counter top to work with. Cute two pieces of parchment paper that are approximately 12x6 or so (better to be on the larger side and you can always trim) and cover generously with flour. Using a bench scraper or a sharp knife, divide the dough into halves. With flour-covered hands, rotate a half 90 degrees so it is seam up (meaning where you cut it) . Stretch the edges to form a long rectangle, then fold the two short edges toward the center making a smaller rectangle. It helps if you dust each loaf with flour. Place the half on one of the pieces of parchment. Repeat with the second half.
8. PROOF. After transferring your loaves to a pan, cover and proof for 30 minutes.
9. BAKE. Place both loaves in the steamy oven and bake on 450F for about 25 minutes or until the tops are golden, and the loaves make a hollow sound when thumped.
10. COOL. Once out of the oven, place on a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing. This step is crucial as the air bubbles (crumb) are still forming during the cooling process. (Picture 2)
11. ENJOY. No directions needed, however, check out some of my other recipes for flavored butters!
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