I was very pleased with the sourdough version of ciabatta we recently published here. I was equally pleased with the feedback we received from many of our subscribers. As promised we have developed a version of the same bread using fresh or dried yeast for those who choose not to maintain a sourdough culture.
As with the sourdough version, this is a very high hydration dough and is therefore very sticky. For those who have a large mixer with a dough hook, the dough can be mixed until it no longer sticks to the bowl. For those making by hand we are going to use the stretch, fold and turn technique instead of traditional kneading. I have described the technique again below as it was first described in The Texture of Bread
The secret to producing the open, chewy texture that is the characteristic of this delicious bread is using a biga, a traditional Italian starter dough which has to be made the day before. This technique is very similar to the French poolish which we will be using in the near future to produce traditional French baguettes.
Ingredients
For the biga
300gm strong baker's flour
250ml warm water
2-3 gm fresh yeast or 1 gm dried yeast
(Note. Unless you have very accurate scales it is difficult to measure the yeast accurately. 10gm of fresh yeast or 5gm of dried yeast is required overall so it is easier to measure these total amounts then separate out about a fifth for the biga.)
For the dough
500gm strong bakers flour
500gm of biga as above
400ml warm water
7-8gm fresh yeast or 4gm dried yeast
20ml (1tbsp) olive oil
12gm salt
Method
The day before you intend to bake, dissolve the yeast in the water then mix the flour, water and yeast in a bowl until well combined. It will be very sticky. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
The following day dissolve the yeast in the water then in a large bowl combine all the ingredients and mix until you have a well combined but sticky dough. Cover and let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Fill a bowl with warm water then wet your hands and the bench. Lift the dough out of the bowl and flatten into a rectangle on the bench. Taking each end in your hands, lift and stretch the dough until it is double in length, place it back on the bench then fold each end in so it meets in the middle. Now fold one side over the other so it is like a closed book.
Now turn the dough 90% and repeat the same stretch and fold. Place the dough back in the bowl, cover and rest for another 30 minutes.
This is how it should look after the first set of stretch, turn and fold. Note the gas bubbles already forming.
After 30 minutes perform another set of stretch, fold and turn.
After another 30 minutes do another set and 30 minutes after that a fourth and final set of stretch, fold and turn. Now the dough should look like this:
Rest for another 30 minutes then turn the dough out onto a well floured bench to divide and shape. For ciabatta loaves you need 300gm to 400gm, for rolls about 150gm and for focaccia 800gm for a 260mmx200mmx50mm tin. If you wish to use this as an excellent pizza base, measure off 250gm to 300gm for a 280mm pizza tray.
This recipe makes quite a lot of dough; around 1400gm. I am going to experiment next time I make this dough with refrigerating some of it overnight and baking it the next day. It will be ideally refrigerated before the final 30 minutes proving.
Handle the dough as gently as possible. For a traditional ciabatta (slipper) shape gently ease the dough into an oblong then press out slightly. Cover and let prove for 30 minutes to 45 minutes then bake in a 230C oven for 25 minutes to 30 minutes until golden and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
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