Ciabatta Bread
Chewy, airy loaves of classic Italian ciabatta.
Ingredients
The Starter Sponge
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
Ciabatta Dough
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Make the starter sponge...
- In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup of all purpose flour with 1/8 teaspoon of instant yeast and 1/2 cup of water until thoroughly mixed
- If you are using a standard 1/4 ounce packet of instant yeast, place the remaining yeast into a zip lock bag
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 8-24 hours
Make the ciabatta dough...
- Transfer the rested sponge into the bowl of your stand mixer and add 2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour, 1/4 cup of whole milk, 3/4 cup of water, 1/2 teaspoon of instant yeast and 1 teaspoon of salt
- Mix with the paddle attachment on medium, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl every minute or so, for 4-6 minutes
- Once the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl, swap the paddle attachment out for the dough hook and continue to mix on medium for another 5-7 minutes
- Once the dough is smooth and shiny (though still fairly sticky), transfer it into a large greased bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Rest for 1 hour
- Next, remove the plastic wrap and pull the sides of the dough in towards the center 8 times (see additional directions above)
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes
- Repeat the action of pulling the dough in towards the center of the bowl 8 times, cover with plastic wrap and rest for another 30 minutes
- Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place a baking stone or flat baking sheet upside down on a rack set on a medium low position
- Before shaping the dough, flour your work surface and cut a sheet of parchment paper in half
- Transfer the dough onto your floured work surface and dust the top generously with flour
- Divide the dough in half with a bench scraper or sharp knife being careful not to deflate the dough
- Turn the dough cut side upward and lightly flour the top surface
- Using your finger tips, gently press the dough out into a rectangle
- Fold the dough as you would a letter by bringing the top down towards the center and bottom over (see photos above)
- Once both portions of dough have been folded, lightly flour both sheets of parchment paper and transfer one piece of dough fold side down onto each sheet
- Lightly flour the top surface of each loaf and cover lightly with a sheet of plastic wrap
- Rest the shaped dough for 30 minutes
- Uncover the dough, gently press it out with your finger tips into a rectangle approximately 10 inches long and 6-7 inches wide and lightly mist with water
- Carefully slide the loaves onto the baking stone or baking sheet using the edges of the parchment paper
- Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and have an internal temperature between 200-210 degrees
- Carefully transfer the loaves onto a cooling rack and remove the parchment paper
- If you prefer a crisp crust, leave it as is, but if you prefer a softer crust, brush the top surface with melted butter immediately after removing the loaves from the oven
- Allow the ciabatta to cool for at least 60 minutes before slicing
- Store in an air tight container