Ciabatta

[jmolinari]

Ciabatta

Here is a ciabatta recipe i've been working on for a while. It is a modification of one i read online from a british fellow. His had an even higher hydration, making the bread super light. For me it was too light, as it had almost no substance.

You can also use all bread flour if you don't have semolina flour. The semolina give it a little more flavor and a yellowish tinge.

• 350 g Bread Flour
  
• 150 g Semlona Flour
  
• 475 g Water
  
• 2 tsp Instant Yeast
  
• 15 g salt
  

1. Mix til roughly combined, with the paddle, and rest for 10 min or so. Still with the paddle, beat seven bells out of the glop on medium-high (4 on a Kitchenaid) until the dough is slapping around the bowl and clearing the bottom completely. This will take about 10-15 min.

2. Tip the dough (glop) into an oiled bowl or similar, I use a cylindrical, transparent, polyethylene food container with a tight sealing lid which makes it very easy to see the progress of the rise, and leave, tightly covered, to triple. It MUST triple or this recipe will not work!.

3. Pour onto a well floured surface, shake more flour over, divide into 3 or 4 rough squares and plump,them up by sliding an angled bench knife under the dough. Shake flour, generously over the loaves and their surroundings and leave until extremely puffy and wobbly. about 45 minutes - just about right for heating the oven to flat out max. Take no prisoners.

4. Using a floured bench knife free each loaf from the counter and, gently, flip it over, pick it up,using floured hands and, gently, stretch it to about 10" long and onto a peel, Superpeel (thank you Gary) or parchment. The dough very

nearly stretches under it's own weight. You must move quickly. It will look as if you've totally and permanently deflated the bread. Straight into the raging oven, down to 220 after 10 min, bake to internal temp at least 96C and you can go as high as 98C if the crust doesn't brown too quickly. You will not believe the oven spring. I baked the bread in 2 batches. The bread will pass the "thump the botttom" test long before the bread is cooked - You Have Been Warned!

Keywords: Bread, Italian, Intermediate, Stand Mixer

( RG1619 )