Name: Ciabatta Recipe
Cook time: 34 min
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients: Bread flour: 9.6 oz./ 2.25 cups; water: 9.6 oz./ 1.25; Dry Yeast: pinch (1/8 tsp.); Bread flour: 450g/ 1lb.; Whole wheat flour: 180g/ 6.4 oz; water: 400g/14oz.; Salt: 1 tbsp.; Dry Yeast: 0.13oz/ 1.75 tsp.

Features:

Cuisine:

Italian

Ingredients

For the Poolish
9.6 oz./ 2.25 cups Bread flour
9.6 oz./ 1.25 water
pinch (1/8 tsp.) Dry Yeast
Final dough
450g/ 1lb. Bread flour
180g/ 6.4 oz Whole wheat flour
400g/14oz. water
1 tbsp. Salt
0.13oz/ 1.75 tsp. Dry Yeast

Directions

Ciabatta is one of the Italian bread trademarks however I bet you didn’t know that it a very young breed in terms of existence, tradition is a tricky slippery memory that can fixate a state of mind, and in this case the fact that Ciabatta was probably created along with baguettes.

In reality, it was invented in 1982 by a Verona Baker who wanted to make an Italian bread to fight back the popular French Baguettes and the rest is history.

Ciabatta – sounds difficult but anyone can bake it

The best way to give a white bread a deep flavor is by adding a Poolish or Biga, both of them are names of preferments in a different hydration level, but to make it simple, we create a dough 12-16 hours prior to the Ciabatta making that will give us the rich flavor and airy texture.

Making the Poolish is easy just mixing flour yeast and water, cover and leave on the counter for a few hours.

ciabatta

The ciabatta dough is very elastic, I strongly recommend using a stand mixer, the dough feels like a bubble gum and had caused a serious headache for many bakers, so the key to get the airy texture is mixing the dough to develop the gluten in it and letting the dough rest 2 times for easier shaping (after each rest we fold the dough and this builds the strength).

You might want to use a dough scraper for the folding, especially for the first on, the dough is a bit runny and very sticky, challenging to fold.

ciabatta

Getting the ciabatta full of air pockets is easy just leave it alone… from the time we divided the dough into the desired amount of buns we use minimum tampering, most important is not to burst the bubbles inside the ciabatta, this will ensure a puffy airy super tender texture which is the trademark of this amazing bread.

ciabatta

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Steps

1 Done 12-16hrs	Preparing the Poolish Disperse the yeast in water and add the flour and salt. mix the Poolish, cover with a plastic wrap keep in a cool spot in room temperature for 12-16 hrs.
2 Done 3hrs.15 minutes	Mixing the dough In a bowl of a stand mixer disperse the yeast in the water with 3 tbsp. of the bread flour and cover for 5-10 minutes (the mixture should be a bit bubbly). remove the cover and add the rest of the bread flour, whole-wheat flour and the Poolish. mix on low speed for 3 minutes add the salt and mix for another 5 minutes on medium speed. Cover and proof for 3 hours, folding the dough every hour to build strength.
3 Done 2 hrs.	dividing and shaping Pour the dough into a floured work surface, fold it once or twice gently and divide it into 6 parts as you make a line lengthwise and 2 more lines crosswise. Shape each part into a rectangle-oval shape with minimum tempering, most important is to keep the air inside the dough and not bursting the bubbles. Place the ciabattas on a baking pan and cover for a final rest of 1-2 hrs.
4 Done 32-36 minutes	Baking the Ciabatta's Preheat the oven to 230°c/ 460°F. Place a heatproof bowl with water inside the oven to create steam, when the oven reaches the desired temperature, remove the bowl carefully and insert the ciabatta tray. After 5 minutes throw a few ice cubes into the bottom of the oven for additional steam, this will build the famous ciabatta crust. When loaves are ready take out and cool for 20 minutes before serving.