I was looking through an old baking book of mine when I was craving fresh baked bread this weekend and I came across this recipe for ciabatta bread. It is a bit time consuming, moderately difficult and very messy. That said it may be the best bread I have ever had. It is certianly the best bread I have ever made. It made wonderfull sandwiches and I reserved a little to use as pizza dough a couple days later (I’ll put that recipe up later). If you take the time to make this recipe you won’t be sorry, I promise.
Baking is a science, the proper mixture of all ingredients is essential to a delicious uniform finished product. All of the ingredients below are listed by weight to ensure accurate amounts. If you do not have a kitchen scale I would recomend picking one up at the grocery store, target, big lots, etc.
The recipe is done in two steps and there are two sets of ingredients, one for each step, be sure to follow the directions carefully.
Ingredients for Part 1
- 1 lb 1 oz Water
- 1 oz active dry yeast
- 1 lb Bread Flour
- 6 oz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Ingredients for Part 2
- .5 oz salt
- 8 oz Bread Flour
Part 1: The Sponge
The first thing to do is disolve your yeast in water that is around 100 degrees. Next add the yeast mixture to the amount of flour set aside for part one. Add the olive oil. Use a wisk or wisk attachment on your mixer and beat for about five minutes or until your sponge is smooth. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let double in size. This will take an hour or so.
Part 2: The Dough
After the dough has doubled stir it down then add the remaining ingredients for part two. Beat for a few minutes till it is smooth again. The dough should be very soft and sticky.
Part 3: Fermentation
Cover again and let set for 1 hour 30 minutes or until it has doubled in size again
Part 4: Makeup and baking (Preheat oven to 425)
This is the messy part. Lightly oil 1 or 2 sheet pans. put a light layer of flour on the oiled pans. Oil your hands. Dig into the dough and portion out an amount condusive with the size loafs you want. I went with smaller loaves for sandwiches (that made eight loaves). If you would rather you can just make 2 large loaves. whatever you decide handle the dough as little as possible. Place it on the sheet pan and lightly use your hands to form it into an oval or rectangle shape. See below for pizza dough variation at this point.
Once you have your loaves set out on your pans dust the tops with flour one more time. Proof at room temp until the dough doubles and the flour on top starts to crack. Place sheet pans in the preheated oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
Pizza Dough Variation
I saved about a fist sized ball of the ciabatta dough and added about a half to 3/4 cup flour to that it was no longer sticky but a smooth dough ball. Once your dough is smooth and firm and not sticky place it in a zip lock bag and refrigerate at least overnight. Remove from refrigerator 2 hours before use to alow it to proof up at room temp.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. If you have a pizza stone let it heat up in the oven and use your peel to put your finished pizza on the stone in the oven. Be sure to throw some cornmeal on the stone just before you put the pizza in. If you dont have a stone lightly oil a sheet pan and make the pizza on the pan and put it in the oven when it is preheated.
This is a very elastic dough. You can use your fingertips to press it out into a medium sized pizza round or if you think you have the right stuff you can try tossing it. once you have the desired size and thickness (I tossed mine thin and it came out crispy and delicious).
If you want you can mix a blend of seasonings with olive oil and baste your crust. I basted mine with garlic powder and salt. You might also try cayenne pepper and chili oil for a spicy crust, or any other combination of herbs and spices that you are fond of.
Sauce your pie, add your toppings (I sauteed onion, mushroom, spinach and artichoke as well as fresh tomato slices and roasted garlic cloves) and bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown.
remove from oven, place on cutting board or serving dish slice and eat.
