Ciabatta

⏳ Time

5 hours + 12 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

Making ciabatta requires patience: preparing the starter and then the dough will take 18 hours. But if you carefully follow the instructions and pay close attention to what happens with the dough, the bread will turn out more flavorful than what you find at the bakery. This is a basic ciabatta recipe that leaves room for experimentation: try adding olives, sun-dried tomatoes, or spices.

Ingredients

Wheat Flour - 14.6 oz
Water - 10 fl oz
Dry yeast - 0.1 oz
Salt - 0.2 oz
Semolina - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

Prepare the necessary ingredients.

Step 2

Mix 165 grams of flour, 130 ml of warm water, and a pinch of yeast until you have a smooth mixture.

Step 3

Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 12 to 24 hours.

Step 4

Mix the starter with the remaining ingredients. At first, it may seem like there is too much flour, but do not add water; keep kneading until you achieve a uniform, smooth, and slightly sticky dough.

Step 5

Cover the bowl with the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 45 minutes.

Step 6

Wet your hands with water, take one edge of the dough directly from the bowl, pull it up, and fold the dough in half. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees, pull the edge of the dough, and fold it in half again. Turn the bowl once more, stretch and fold the third edge of the dough, and do the same with the fourth edge. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest for another 45 minutes. Repeat this procedure 2 more times, allowing it to rest for 45 minutes each time.

Step 7

Preheat the oven to 482°F, place a heatproof skillet on the bottom rack, and warm an inverted baking sheet in the middle. On a floured surface, divide the dough into two equal parts and shape them into rectangular loaves using wet hands.

Step 8

Transfer them to a parchment paper dusted with semolina, sprinkle with flour, cover with a cloth, and let sit for an hour.

Step 9

Transfer the parchment with the bread onto a hot baking sheet, toss ice into the pan at the bottom of the oven, place the baking sheet with the bread inside, and immediately close the oven. Bake the bread for 20–25 minutes, until it is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.