Rev 0.72, last revised: 13-Dec-05
"Ciabatta," is an Italian word meaning "slipper". This distinctive bread gets its name from its slipper like shape. With a dull flour covered crust, a Ciabatta loaf will be lightly browned, full of large holes, flat, wide, and moderately long--like a favorite slipper...
This sourdough Ciabatta recipe was posted to the r.f.sd group by a gracious fellow with the NG handle, "WCSJohn". I've copied it and presented it here for posterity.
[NB: 1) This recipe is intended for use with a power-mixer. As soon as I work it out, I intend to provide a link to a "hand-made" variation.
2) John has wisely posted his recipe in standard international units. I've added US/imperial units for the benefit of our domestic readers. Further note; this is a first cut and [my numbers] have not yet been tested or validated.
3) In consultation with WCSJohn, as I was testing this recipe, I made minor editing changes for clarity. And I have also added some [delineated] editorial comments as seemed appropriate after noting my own missteps in applying the instructions in this recipe.
4) This recipe was written in the first-person, and that makes some of the text a bit awkward. Over time I will fix that... - D.]
Enjoy!
Time: 2 days to make
Type: Lean rustic sourdough
Yield: 2 Ciabatta loaves
Whisk all the ingredients into a thick batter in your mixer bowl, Leave, loosely covered, in a warm place overnight.
These quantities, in John's kitchen, give a batter temperature of about 27C [81F] which is cooled rapidly, by the stainless steel bowl he uses, to 25C [77F]. By the next day, the starter should be frothy, very bubbly, and sour-smelling (a polite way of putting it. Actually, it smells like the Black Lagoon<g>).
Mix all the ingredients using the dough hook, on low, to combine. Then turn the mixer up to medium and mix until the dough clears the bottom of the bowl, this sourdough version does that a LOT quicker than the commercial yeast version I make. 5-10 minutes should be enough. Dough temperature was 20C [68F].
[NB: This type of dough is known as 'high-hydration' (very wet) dough. If you're used to making 'typical' bread dough's, this will seem awkward & hard to handle (it is!). Have faith and avoid the temptation to add more flour. - D.]
Tip out onto a well floured counter and give the dough 6 Stretch 'n' Fold cycles at 10 minute intervals, using flour as necessary.
Rise #1: Cover and let double--depending on your culture and the temperature this should take about 2-hours.
Rise #2: Divide your dough into 2 parts, and stretch and fold, again, into rough squares. Proof to about 1-1/2 or 2 times if you're feeling confident, folded side up, on a heavily floured surface. Depending on your culture and the temperature, this should take about 3-hours.
[NB: The next step may seem counter intuitive and the faint of heart may shrink from the apparent collapse of your carefully risen dough. But have faith, the oven spring of this dough is amazing! - Ed.]
Invert, stretch into your favorite Ciabatta shape and put into a very hot oven immediately. Do not permit the dough to rest or recover from that final stretch. Turn your oven down to 220C [428F] and bake 15-20 minutes, to an internal temp at least 95C. I use a stone, but no steam.
The hydration is high but the dough is extremely elastic after the stretch and fold cycles and is surprisingly resistant to deflation.
And, if you were to say, "That's just your standard Ciabatta with extra stretch and fold cycles and sourdough instead of commercial yeast," I'd be forced to agree.
John
p.s. The bread was delicious BTW, some of the best I have ever baked. Which is, after all, why we do it, to make bread that's a pleasure to eat.