Ciabatta Bread Recipe Loaves Recipes Recipe For Potato

CIABATTA BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a medium size bowl add water and dry yeast. Wait 10 minutes until the yeast is fully dissolved and has a "creamy' texture.
• Mix in the flour. You should get a very loose and sticky dough. It should have consistency thick enough not to come off from the spoon as, say, sour cream or greek yogurt, but wet enough so that it's impossible to knead it by hand.
• Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let the dough rest at a room temperature for 3-4 hrs or overnight. I just don't recommend leaving biga for more than 24 hrs as the yeast will start to over-mature and loose its power.
• Once biga is rested it will become bubbly and might become even looser when you left it. Now pour lukewarm water in the bowl, going around the edges of the bowl and pouring small portions at a time. This is how we hydrate and aerate biga even more at the same time liberating it from the bowl.
• Pour biga and wate mix into a bowl of a standing mixer, oil the dough hook.Turn on your mixer on low speed, knead for a 1-2 minutes and start adding flour.
• In the last portion of flour (approx 1cup) add salt and mix it into the flour. Add to the dough.Knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. You'll notice the dough starting changing its texture. Becoming more smooth and starting to climb up the hook. Increase mixer speed to high and knead for another 10 minutes. If you mixer bowl is large enough you'll see the dough coming off the bowl sides. That's a perfect sign the dough is ready and has developed strong gluten.You would be able to tell just from the look that it's very silky and shiny.
• Transfer the dough to a big oiled bowl, so that there is enough space for the bread to double or triple.Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at a room temperature for about 40-50 minutes.
• After the first 40-50 minutes the dough will double in size. Deep a silicon spatula in a water and start folding the dough onto itself, from the outside to the center of the bowl. You should be able to make 6-10 folds.
• Do it gently, so that the dough becomes well aerated and not deflated.Now using both hands, rise the dough from the bowl letting it fold, turn the bowl 90 degrees and fold in the same manner again. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 40-50 minutes.
• Repeat this last folding process once again and let the dough rest for the last 40-50 minutes.
• Once it's perfectly bubbly and screams to get out of the bowl, GENEROUSLY sprinkle the working surface with the flour. You'll regret if you wouldn't. The dough is veery sticky, but that's the secret for gorgeous light and airy ciabatta bread.
• Flip the bowl upside down and let the dough "slide" off of the bowl by itself.
• Sprinkle your scrapers and top of the dough with flour again. Constantly assisting with the scrapers give it a rectangular shape. Cut into elongated loaves or individual rolls. You can make the rolls either square or triangle and they are HEAVEN for panini.
• Generously sprinkle linen cloth with flour and using large dough scrapers transfer the bread loaves onto it. Separate each loaf with a towel fold (see the pictures) or use individual towel for each of the loaves.
• Turn on the oven to 450F while ciabatta bread rests on the towel.
• After 10-15 minutes flip ciabatta loaves over on parchment paper sprinkled with semolina or corn flour (to prevent bread from sticking).
• Just before you put the bread into the oven, spray the oven generously with cold water to create as much steam as you can. Steam really helps ciabatta bread to cook perfectly both on the inside and outside.
• Bake ciabatta for 20-25 minutes without EVER opening the oven. After 10 minutes in the oven reduce the heat to 400F. When it's golden brown, or may seem even slightly burned that is it. Your ciabatta bread has just reached its perfection and all you have left is let it cool for 15-20 on the wire rack.

CIABATTA BREAD

Steps:

• Place ingredients into the pan of the bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. Select the Dough cycle, and Start. (See Editor's Note for stand mixer instructions.)
• Dough will be quite sticky and wet once cycle is completed; resist the temptation to add more flour. Place dough on a generously floured board, cover with a large bowl or greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Lightly flour baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, divide dough into 2 pieces, and form each into a 3x14-inch oval. Place loaves on prepared sheets and dust lightly with flour. Cover, and let rise in a draft-free place for approximately 45 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Spritz loaves with water. Place loaves in the oven, positioned on the middle rack. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes.

CIABATTA

Steps:

• To Make Sponge: In a small bowl stir together 1/8 teaspoon of the yeast and the warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl stir together yeast mixture, 1/3 cup of the water, and 1 cup of the bread flour. Stir 4 minutes, then cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• To Make Bread: In a small bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with dough hook blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until flour is just moistened; add salt and mix until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles.) Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425 F (220 degrees C).
• Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to a rimless baking sheet with a long side of loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool loaves on a wire rack.

CIABATTA (ITALIAN SLIPPER BREAD)

Steps:

• Make sponge: Stir together, warm water and yeast.
• Let stand 5 minutes, until creamy.
• Transfer yeast mixture to another bowl and add room-temp water and flour.
• Stir for 4 minutes.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
• Let stand at cool room temp at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make bread: Stir together yeast and milk in small bowl and let stand 5 minutes, until creamy.
• In bowl of standing electric mixer, with dough hook, blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil and flour at low speed until flour is moistened.
• Beat on medium for 3 minutes.
• Add salt and beat for 4 more minutes.
• Scrape dough into oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap, until doubled- about 1 1/2 hours.
• Note: Dough will be VERY sticky and full of bubbles.
• Cut two pieces of parchment paper, approx 12 inches by 6 inches.
• Place on baking sheet and flour well.
• Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and cut in half.
• Transfer each half to paper and form irregular ovals approx 9 inches long.
• Dip fingers in flour and dimple loaves.
• Dust tops with flour.
• Cover with dampened kitchen towel and let rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until almost doubled.
• At least 45 minutes before baking bread, pre-heat pizza stone on lowest oven rack position at 425°F.
• Transfer 1 loaf, along with parchment paper, onto stone and bake for 20 minutes or until pale golden.
• Remove to cooling racks and repeat with second loaf.

CIABATTA (CRUSTY SLIPPER BREAD)

Steps:

• You will need a baking stone or 2 jelly roll pans that fit side by side in the oven, plus a cookie sheet with no sides or a piece of stiff cardboard to slide the loaves into the oven.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the flour and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk the yeast into the water; then stir the yeast mixture into the flour.
• Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix the dough for 1 minute on lowest speed.
• Stop the mixer and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Beat the dough again on medium speed, until smooth and elastic, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Oil a 3-quart bowl and scrape the dough into it; turn the dough over so that the top is also oiled.
• Press plastic wrap against the surface of the dough and let the dough rise at room temperature until it is doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the dough, place the baking stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 500°; if you are using pans instead of the stone, invert the two pans side by side on the middle rack of the oven and preheat at the same temperature.
• To form the loaves, scrape the dough onto a floured work surface, deflating it as little as possible; gently pat the dough into an 8-inch square; cut in half to make 2 rectangles.
• Sprinkle the cookie sheet or cardboard with cornmeal and arrange one of the pieces of dough at the far end, stretching the dough very slightly as you place it on the pan.
• Open the oven and slide the loaf onto the stone or one of the inverted jelly roll pans, quickly jerking away the cookie sheet or cardboard.
• Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
• Bake until they are very dark golden and reach an internal temperature of about 200 degrees, about 25 minutes.
• Cool the breads directly on a rack.
• To serve: cut the loaf into thick vertical slices to serve it with a meal; to use the loaves for sandwiches, split them horizontally.

CIABATTA

Steps:

• Starter: Also called pre-ferment, levain, or poolish (which contains commercial yeast, as in this starter), this is the leavening or rising component of the bread. Turn on a digital scale and weigh your empty container. Deduct the weight of the container by pressing the "tare" function, which resets the scale to zero. Add water to the container and add the pinch of yeast. Tare to zero again, and add the correct amount of flour to the water and yeast. Use a chopstick to stir the starter until the dry and wet ingredients are just mixed. Cover the container with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, away from direct sunlight, for 10-16 hours, but optimally 12 hours
• Dough: Place an empty container or bowl onto the digital scale and tare to zero; add water to measure by weight. Pour some of the water into the starter (poolish) and use a rubber spatula to loosen the mass around the edges. Empty contents into a bowl and use the spatula to combine with the remaining water so there are fewer lumps. Stir in honey and olive oil, then stir in yeast. Add flour and salt. Using a wooden spoon, and starting in the middle of the bowl, slowly stir to the edges until most of the flour has been mixed in and hydrated. Dough will be thin and soupy. Stir vigorously with the wooden spoon to bind the dough and bring it together, 1 minute. Pour the dough (which will now have the texture of thick pancake batter) into a bowl coated with nonstick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 45 minutes.
• First Stretch and Fold: Combine 1 part fine semolina with 5 parts unbleached white flour to make dusting flour, and generously dust the work surface, a plastic bench scraper, and your hands. Using the scraper, release the batter/soupy dough from the bowl and onto the prepared work surface. Dust the dough with more dusting flour. Use the scraper to stretch the dough by going under it and gently pulling out. Repeat this around the edges of the dough until the mass is the shape of a loose rectangle. Starting at one end and using the scraper under the dough, roll the dough like a tube, about 3-4 times around. Flip the dough so it's seam-side up, and flatten again to a rectangle so the seam stretches left to right. Repeat rolling, returning to a seam-up position. This fold may be difficult as the batter is still soupy, but it should have enough stretch to be manageable. Use the scraper to tuck the sides under, toward the center of the dough, and then quickly and gently place the dough seam-side down in a bowl coated again with nonstick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature, 45 minutes.
• Additional Stretching and Folding: This technique strengthens the dough by folding it over onto itself. This process is repeated 3 times, with a resting period after each stretch and fold. Generously dust the work surface, a plastic bench scraper, and your hands with dusting flour. Using the scraper, release the dough from the bowl (it will still be soupy, but firmer than before) and onto the prepared work surface. Dust the dough with more dusting flour. Use the scraper to stretch the dough by going under it and gently pulling out. Repeat this around the edges of the dough until it's in a loose rectangle. Fold dough in thirds, like a letter, then do the same fold in the other direction. Place the dough back in the bowl coated with nonstick spray, cover with plastic, and let rest at room temperature, 45 minutes. For the third stretch and fold, repeat the steps for the second stretch and fold. Cover with plastic coated with nonstick spray and let rest at room temperature, 45 minutes. For the fourth and final stretch and fold, you will not need as much flour and the dough will be easier to work with. Repeat the steps, but press down on the dough to de-gas slightly before folding. Place dough back in the bowl coated with nonstick spray. Cover with plastic coated with nonstick spray and let rest 30 minutes. Transfer bowl to the refrigerator and chill 12-18 hours.
• Shaping/Fermentation (Proofing): Shape the dough to prepare it for baking, then ferment (proof) it for a period of time to expand the dough and develop flavor. Generously dust the work surface, a wooden board for proofing the dough, a plastic bench scraper, your hands, and the top of the dough with dusting flour. Using the scraper, release the dough from the bowl. Dust the dough and gently stretch it into a square shape, being careful not to let any gas escape. The dough will also spread on its own immediately after it's laid out on the surface. Using a dough scraper, divide the dough into 3 equal pieces. (Alternatively, you can cut the dough into smaller pieces, making smaller ciabattas.) Place on the wooden board and gently coax each piece into a rough rectangle. Spray plastic wrap with nonstick spray and lay it over the loaves. Let the dough rest at room temperature until the loaves have doubled in size, 1½-3 hours.
• Preheating Oven/Baking: Heat the cast-iron skillet while the oven is preheating. By filling the skillet with ice just prior to baking, you will create an optimal environment to steam the bread, resulting in a crispy crust and tender interior. Place cast-iron skillet on the bottom of a cold oven and place baking stone on lowest rack. Preheat oven to 480 F (preferably convection) for 1 hour. Remove ciabatta from refrigerator, remove plastic wrap and generously dust with dusting flour. Generously dust a baking peel or large wooden board with dusting flour. Using a scraper, gently flip each ciabatta, one at a time, onto the baking peel. Transfer ciabatta directly onto the preheated baking stone in the oven. Repeat with smaller ciabattas. Fill skillet with about 1½ cups of ice cubes. Close the door and lower the temperature to 440 degrees F. Bake until golden brown, 20-30 minutes. (If you need to bake in batches, refrigerate additional loaves for up to an hour to slow down fermentation until you're ready to bake. Give the oven time to come back up to temperature, then bake as directed.)
• Cooling, Slicing, and Storing: Let bread cool completely before slicing. This bread is very moist when fresh and dries out quickly; it's best eaten the day it's baked. Ciabatta can be stored wrapped in plastic but it will become soft and lose its crunch over a 6-12 hour period.

WHOLE-GRAIN CIABATTA BREAD(OR ROLLS)

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine water and yeast; stir and let stand for 10 minutes. When yeast is bubbly, add milk, olive oil, whole-wheat flour, oat bran, ½ cup bread flour, and salt and beat for 2 minutes. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Add enough remaining bread flour to make a soft dough; beat for 1 minute. Cover bowl and let rise for 1 hour.
• Remove dough to lightly floured surface (dough will be soft and sticky). Grease two 4″ × 10″ shapes on a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with cornmeal. Divide dough in half and shape into two 3″ × 9″ rectangles on the greased areas of the cookie sheet. Let rise for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place a 9″ pan filled with ½″ of water on bottom rack. Bake bread on middle rack for 20-30 minutes or until loaves are light golden brown and sound hollow when tapped with fingers. Cool on wire rack.
• Yields 2 loaves; 8 servings.
• For Rolls:.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• 3 tablespoons cornmeal.
• Prepare Whole Wheat Ciabatta Bread through the first rising. Punch down dough and turn onto lightly floured surface.
• Divide dough into 6 portions. Using floured fingers, shape each portion into a 3″ × 3″ rectangle.
• Grease six 4″ × 4″ squares on a cookie sheet with olive oil and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place dough onto each cornmeal coated square. Drizzle with remaining olive oil.
• Let rise in warm place until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 425ºF.
• Bake rolls for 10-15 minutes or until very light brown. Turn off oven and prop open oven door. Let rolls stand in oven for another 5 minutes. Then remove from oven and let cool on wire racks.
• Yields 6 rolls.
• Note:.
• Creating Steam When Baking Bread.
• Adding steam to the oven when baking bread makes a crisper, thicker crust. There are several ways to do this. You can place a pan with some water in it on the rack below the bread. You can also spritz the loaves with water a few times while the bread is baking. The steam helps keep the bread softer longer, so the crust develops more slowly.

CIABATTA (AN ITALIAN BREAD)

Steps:

• Sponge: In a mixer bowl, add the yeast to the water, allow to stand for 3-4 minutes, stirring gently. Sift the flour and add to the yeast. Combine ingredients well, cover and let stand at room temperature for 12 hours.
• Dough: Add the yeast to the milk, stir and let it stand 3-4 minutes to be sure the yeast is working (it should foam up).
• Add the yeast mixture, water and oil to the sponge and mix with a dough hook.
• Add 2 cups of flour and the salt and knead for 2 minutes at low speed. Add the remaining flour slowly and knead for 3 more minutes, adding more water, until the dough begins to pull from the sides of the bowl.
• The dough should be quite soft and wet - a lot like a thick mud - this is why it cannot be kneaded by hand. Add the last of the flour slowly. Add a little more water, if necessary. (You may have to stop the mixer to scrape the sides of the bowl once or twice. As the dough kneads, you will see it turn from a puddle of mud to a sticky dough with long, long strings of gluten forming and stretching from the sides of the bowl to the ball of dough on the hook).
• Cover or place in a large, oiled bowl and let rise in a warm place for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until TRIPLED in size and bubbly.
• Get three baking sheets and sprinkle them with flour. Take a spatula and carefully spoon out a third of the still very sticky dough onto each. Try not to deflate the dough too much, although it will deflate some, you can't really help it.
• Since ciabatta means slipper in Italian, try to make each loaf the length of a man's shoe. If you spoon the dough out to one edge, and sort of use your spatula to guide it in a ribbon down the baking sheet you can preserve the light strands or striations in the dough, which will look nice when it's proofed and baked. The loaves will probably be about an inch thick. If you want to give them a nicer shape, flour your hands lightly and neaten up the edges into an oblong. Think shoe, not loaf! Think rustic - don't make the loaves overly neat and perfect, you want a rustic look. Flour your hands again and very gently pat the tops of the loaves to flour them, or sprinkle them with flour if you're afraid of smushing them.
• The dough will still be like glue at this point, so don't even try to handle it much. It's a mess, and that's the way it needs to be. Let them proof for 30-40 minutes, or until a little less than double.
• Preheat oven to 220°C/425°F.
• Bake the bread for 25-30 minutes (22-25 minutes if using stones or tiles) or until bread just begins to turn light golden-brown. During the first 10 minutes, brush or spray the bread lightly with water twice (spraying is faster - you don't want the heat escaping from the oven).
• Enjoy!