Ciabatta

Ciabatta

I forgot to take many pictures of the ciabatta making process but they were really easy to make.  Read on for more details.

I make this dough in my stand mixer as it is very wet.  It can be made by hand but I find that I seem to end up with most of the dough stuck to my fingers!

First 500g strong white flour, 10g salt and 10g fast action yeast are mixed together then, using a dough hook, 400ml warm water and 40ml olive oil are added.  Just use the dough hook to knead the dough for about 5-10 minutes.  It starts off very sticky, in the end it is still sticky but much smoother and comes away from the sides of the bowl with the hook.

Oil a square or rectangular plastic tub, about 30 x 40 cm, really well then tip in the dough and spread it out over the base of the tub.  Cover and leave to rise until the dough is at least two or 3 times the original size.

Liberally flour your work surface and then tip the dough out trying to keep as much of the shape as possible and without knocking the air out if it.  Sprinkle plenty more flour on the top and then cut into four strips

Carefully lift each of the strips up and place on a lined baking tray – you’ll feel as if it will all end in disaster but just gently reshape them once they are on the tray.  Leave to rest for about 10 minutes then bake 220C for about 25 minutes until the bread is golden and crusty.