CIABATTA BREAD
its simple
Ciabatta bread recipe will give you a rustic Italian bread, perfect for dips in
soups or sauces. The strong hydration of this bread gives a wonderfully soft
center and tons of irregular holes.
INGREDIENTS:
FOR THE
SPONGE:
- ½ cup water (at room temperature)
- ⅛ teaspoon instant (rapid-rise yeast)
- 1 cupall-purpose flour
FOR THE
DOUGH:
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- ¾ Cup water (at room temperature)
- ½ teaspoon instant (rapid-rise yeast)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup whole or 2% milk (at room temperature)
- DIRECTIONS:
First, Prepare
the sponge: Mix the flour, yeast and water in a medium bowl and mix with a
wooden spoon until a uniform mass is obtained. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap
and let stand at room temperature for at least 8 hours or up to 24 hours.
Then, Prepare
the dough: Place the sponge and dough ingredients (flour, salt, yeast, water
and milk) in the bowl of the stand mixer equipped with the paddle attachment.
Blend at low speed until a smooth mixture is obtained and a hard dough takes
about 1 minute, scraping the bowl and the palette as needed. Increase the speed
to medium-low and continue mixing until the dough becomes a uniform mass that
accumulates on the paddle and comes off the sides of the bowl, 4 to 6 minutes.
Crochet and
knead bread on medium speed until smooth and shiny (dough will be very sticky),
about 10 minutes.
Transfer the
dough to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature
until doubled, about 1 hour.
Spray rubber
spatula or scraper with nonstick cooking spray. Fold the dough on itself by
gently lifting and bending the edge of the dough towards the middle. Turn the
bowl 90 degrees and bend again. Turn the bowl over and fold the dough 6 more
times (for a total of 8 times).
Cover with
plastic wrap and let rise for 30 minutes.
Repeat the
folding operation as in step 3, replace the plastic wrap and let it rise until
its size doubles in volume, about 30 minutes.
One hour
before baking, set the oven rack to the lower center position, place a baking
stone on the rack and preheat the oven to 450 ° F.
Cut two
pieces of parchment paper 12 x 6 inches and sprinkle generously with flour.
Transfer the dough to a floured surface taking care not to deflate it
completely. Generously flour the top of the dough and divide it in half with a
scraper. Turn over 1 piece of dough and sprinkle with flour. With well floured
hands, squeeze the dough into an approximate 12 x 6 inch rectangle. Fold the
shorter sides of the dough towards the center, overlapping them as if you were
folding a letter in thirds to form a 7 x 4 inch rectangle. Repeat with the
second piece of dough.
Carefully
transfer each loaf, seams down, onto parchment paper, sprinkle with flour and
cover with plastic wrap. Let the bread stand at room temperature for 30 minutes
(the bread surface will develop small bubbles).
Slide the
pieces of parchment with the buns onto a pizza skin. Using the floured
fingertips, evenly poke the entire surface of each loaf to form a 10 x 6 inch
rectangle; lightly spray the loaves with water. Slip bread and parchment over
the baking stone. Bake, basting bread twice more with water for the first 5
minutes, until crust is golden and breads reach 210 degrees F, 22 to 27 minutes
.
Transfer the
loaves to a rack, discard the parchment and let it cool at room temperature for
at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. The bread can be wrapped in a
double layer of plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.
Wrapped with an extra layer of aluminum foil, the bread can be frozen for up to
1 month. To crust the crust, defrost the bread at room temperature (if frozen)
and place the unpackaged bread in the oven at 450 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.
Happy Cooking Time.
