Ciabatta

 

Ciabatta is a Italian bread with  rustic texture on the crust (crispy when it's just out of the oven or toasted) and soft, airy on the inside. It can be eaten on its own, dipped in olive oil or hummus, or made into sandwich.

Recipe credit to Brian Lagerstrom. Watch his video here.

Ingredients (makes 2 very big loaves) 

A: Biga (Italian starter for making bread)

175g water, 1/4 tsp instant yeast, 225g bread flour. 

B. Dough

180g warm water, total 395g

250g bread flour, total 475g

40g warm water

5g yeast

10g salt

all of the biga

Method:

1. Prepare biga by mixing all biga ingredients until there is no dry flour. 

2. Cover the container and let the biga rest at room temperature for 1 hour l, then transfer to the fridge and rest for 6 to 24 hours. I rested my biga at room temperature (around 27 degree celcius) until it has risen to triple its volume, around 5.5 hours.

after mixing

after 5.5hours

3. Mix 180g water and bread flour in stand mixer at low speed (Spar mixer  speed 1). Once combined and there are no dry flour, cover the mixing bowl with a towel for 30 minutes. This process is called autolyse which will give more elasticity and extensibility to dough.

4. Add 40g warm water, 5g instant yeast, 10g salt, all of the biga, and mix at low speed for 3 minutes.  Once everything comes together, increase speed  (Spar mixer, speed 2) and mix for 6 to 7 minutes until the dough comes clean from sides of the mixing bowl and there is flapping sound. The dough is shiny and does not tear when you pull it (gluten has developed enough). Transfer the dough to a clean bowl, lightly oiled with olive oil, cover with a towel and rest for 30 minutes. 

5. Wet/oil hand and perform stretch and fold : pull dough, stretch as far as possible and fold it back over itself. Turn the bowl 90degrees and repeat the stretching and folding. Repeat this 2 more times. After 4 folds, grab corner of dough to roll the bottom of dough to the top. Then perform a coil fold. Cover the bowl and rest the dough for 30 minutes.

6. Spray water on bench top. Flip the dough to the benchtop and stretch the dough to a big and thin rectangular shape (12" x 18").  Gently transfer dough back into mixing bowl. Cover and proof for 60 minutes (dough will rise about 30%).

Fold the length side of the dough onto itself (1/3), then fold the other side to cover the dough. 

After that, gently fold the dough over itself like a swiss roll. 

Gently transfer dough back into mixing bowl. Cover and proof for 60 minutes (dough will rise about 30%).

The dough will be soft and jiggly as shown in this video.

7. Dust the benchtop with flour (to prevent dough from sticking to the benchtop). Dust the dough with flour too. Use the dough scrapper to make sure the dough is well released from the bowl. Flip the dough to the benchtop. Dust the dough with flour again and gently pat it and shape into a square. Be careful not to push air out of the dough. 

8. Dust a piece of baking paper with flour. Divide the dough into two (or smaller pieces to suit your preference) and gently transfer each piece to the baking paper. Cover the dough with a towel and proof (on wooden slab if possible) for 30 minutes. Use poke test to check for readiness. Transfer the dough to the baking tray once proofing is completed.

9. Preheat oven to 260 degree celcius. Put cast iron pan on the bottom of the oven. Use a baking stone if you have one.

10. Place the tray into the oven (2nd rack from bottom). Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the cast iron pan which will create a lot of steam. Trap the steam by covering the baking tray with a big roasting pan. Turn down the oven heat to 240 degree celcius and bake for 12 minutes. After 12 minutes, remove the roasting pan and bake for an additional 13 to 20 minutes until the crust is dark brown. 

11. Transfer to wire rack to cool.