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Ciabatta Bread

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I was taught by a Cordon Bleu Chef how to make this fantastic bread. I love ciabatta with butter and jam or with dinner. SO WILL YOU!

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Rate this recipe 4.5/5 (25 Votes)
Ciabatta Bread 1 Picture

Ingredients

  • Sponge:
  • Ciabatta Yields: 2 loaves
  • 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 T water, warm (105 to 115 degrees)
  • 1/3 cup, water room temperature
  • 1 cup bread flour or unbleached all purpose flour
  • Bread:
  • 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
  • 2 T whole milk, warm (105 to 115 degrees)
  • 2/3 cup water, room temperature
  • 1 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 Cups bread flour or unbleached all purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 tsp kosher salt

Details

Preparation

Step 1

Make the sponge:
In a medium mixing bowl stir together yeast and warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until it looks creamy and a little bubbly. Add in room temperature water and flour and stir for 4 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.

Make the Bread:
In a small mixing bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until it looks creamy and a little bubbly. IN bowl of a standing mixer, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until flour is just moistened. Beat the dough at medium speed (number 4) for 3 minutes. Add salt and beat 4 minutes more. Turn the 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. This dough will be bubbly and quite sticky.

Have ready a rimless baking sheet and 2 well floured 12 by 6 inch sheets of parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a well floured work surface and cut in half with a bench scraper. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured finders and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, about 1-1/2 hours.

About 30 minutes before baking, place a pizza stone on the oven rack in the lowest position in the oven and preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment paper sheet to a baking sheet with one long side of the loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of the pizza stone, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone. Transfer remaining loaf half of stone in a similar manner. Bake for 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Using a large spatula, transfer loaves to a rack to cool.

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