Ciabatta

I am back with another video installment: a bread baking double feature! This time, ciabatta. The secret to a chewy ciabatta with those characteristic holes is a very wet dough that you handle and shape on a floured surface. As long as you keep things well-floured your bread making adventure won't devolve into a sticky mess. The video is rather long but I wanted to show the shaping in real time. It made me realize that I pat/fondle my dough a lot. You'll see what I mean. The recipes are, of course, from Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice. Start the day before you want to make the bread with the poolish--I think it tastes better after being in the fridge overnight. I use a stand mixer to make the ciabatta dough, but Reinhart says you can do it with a spoon. I have yet to try that.

Poolish (a bread pre-ferment) from Vegan Dad on Vimeo.

Poolish

INGREDIENTS

- 11.25 oz (2.5 cups) bread flour

- 12 oz (1.5 cups) water, room temperature

- 1/4 tsp instant yeast

Ciabatta from Vegan Dad on Vimeo.

Ciabatta

INGREDIENTS

- poolish, from above

- 13.5 oz (3 cups) bread flour

- 1 3/4 tsp salt

- 1 1/2 tsp instant yeast

- 6 oz (3/4 cup) lukewarm water