Ciabatta

A relative newcomer to Italian cuisine, this 1982 creation has become one of Italy’s most popular breads due to its versatility. Cut horizontally, it’s great for hero-style sandwiches; cut vertically, it’s perfect as bruschetta or as a conduit for olive oil, butter, or nutella.

Ciabatta is a flatter bread, which means there will be less crumb and more crust per piece. It needs a wet dough and is best made using a starter and stand mixer. This recipe also requires a baking steel or stone. Note that the starter must proof for 12 to 16 hours, so plan ahead!

Starter:

225 g King Arthur Organic Bread Flour (12.7% protein)

1/8 tsp (about 0.35 g) active dry yeast

170 g cool water - see temperature calculation below

 

Dough:

All of the above starter

170 g warm water (100°F)

4.5 g honey

225 g King Arthur Organic Bread Flour (12.7% protein)

1 tsp (about 3 g) active dry yeast

1 1/2 tsp (about 9 g) sea salt

 

1.     Make the starter a day in advance of the finished product:

a.     The ideal temperature of the water = 195°F – (temperature of room) – (temperature of flour)

(For example, if the temperature of the room and flour are 70°F, then the water should be about 195°F - 70°F - 70°F, or 55°F.)

b.     In a bowl, stir together the cool water, flour, and yeast.

c.     Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours.

2.     Break up the starter into small pieces and place in the stand mixer’s bowl.

3.     Add the warm water and honey to the starter. Using the dough hook attachment, mix at the lowest speed for 4 minutes.

4.     In a separate bowl, combine the flour and yeast. With the mixer still on its lowest speed, gradually add this dry mixture to the starter mixture.

5.     Once the dough is mostly combined, gradually add in the salt. Mix for 3 minutes on the lowest speed.

6.     Mix at medium speed until the dough comes off the side and bunches up on the dough hook (about 4 minutes).

7.     Cover the dough in the bowl and let it rise for 1 hour. My kitchen is pretty warm (74°F) and I also turn on a halogen light above the workspace, so the dough is typically rising at 79°F. You can also put it into an unheated oven with the oven light on.

8.     Gently deflate it and let it rise one more hour, again covered.

9.     Gently turn it out onto a floured work surface and sprinkle a generous amount of flour on top.

10.  Form, not roll, the dough into an 8-by-10-inch rectangle and then cut into two 4-by-10-inch pieces.

11.  Gently transfer each piece to a liberally floured surface.

12.  Cover with a lightly oiled piece of plastic wrap or a hard-plastic cover, and let rise for 1 1/2 hours. Note that these loaves are proofing upside down.

13.  About 30 minutes into the proofing, begin this steamed cooking process:

a.     Place a baking steel or stone on the oven rack slot just above center.

b.     Place two bread pans on the same rack, one on each side of the steel/stone. These will be used for steaming.

c.     Preheat the oven to 500°F for 1 hour.

d.     With 10 minutes remaining on the preheat, roll up six absorbent dish towels and place in a Pyrex dish of water. Microwave until boiling slightly, about 5 minutes.

e.     Separately, microwave 1 cup of water until it is boiling gently.

f.      Use tongs to transfer three hot towels into each of the bread pans in the oven. Pour 1/2 cup of boiling water, as well, into each.

g.     Let steam develop in the oven for 5 minutes.

h.     Throw some cornmeal on the baking steel/stone, and carefully transfer the breads to it, flipping the loaves to right side up. (They had proofed upside down.) Make a few cuts in the top of the doughs using a knife or razor blade. Quickly close the oven door to trap in the steam.

i.      Turn the oven down to 425°F.

j.      Bake breads for about 27 minutes. After the first 10 minutes, remove the two steam pans.

k.     Turn OFF the oven and remove the loaves and the baking steel/stone. Position oven rack in center of oven.

l.      Return the loaves to the OFF oven, placing them directly on the middle rack. Leave the oven door ajar 3 inches. Let them cool from hot to warm there: this method prevents any released moisture from softening the crusts.

m.   Once the loaves have cooled to warm, remove them and enjoy!