Ciabatta

rustic high-hydration italian bread

Makes 2 loaves · 152 kcal per serving

Ingredients

• 500 g Bread Flour
• 400 g Water
• 10 g Salt
• 3 g Instant Yeast

Method

1. Biga: 12–16 h ahead, stir the biga's flour, water, and yeast into a shaggy, stiff dough; it stays dry and tight, not smooth. Cover and ferment at room temperature until domed on top and webbed with bubbles underneath.
2. Dough: Break the biga into the water and let it soften a few minutes, then mix in the flour, salt, and yeast to a rough, very wet dough. Develop the gluten with slap-and-folds or a stand mixer until it pulls off the sides and passes a windowpane; it stays sticky.
3. Bulk: Cover and bulk-ferment ~2–3 h, folding the dough over itself every 30 min for the first 1–2 h, until puffy, jiggly, and full of bubbles. Handle it gently from here to keep the gas.
4. Shape: Tip out onto a well-floured counter, divide in two, and coax each into a rough rectangle without degassing. Proof on a floured couche or parchment 30–45 min.
5. Bake: Bake at 450°F / 230°C with steam until deep golden and hollow-sounding, ~22–28 min. Cool fully before cutting.

Notes

Ciabatta means 'slipper', for its flat shape.