Same day ciabatta
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again - I am impatient when it comes to bread baking. I’ve tried my hand at making a starter from scratch - it was a fail and I never got to even bake my first loaf with it. I love the idea of a biga but under most circumstances, my impulsive nature makes it impossible to plan ahead and make one the night before I need it. If I get the itch to bake a ciabatta or focaccia, I want it then and there. I’m committed enough to spend a few hours on it, but that’s it. Which is where this recipe comes in!
This ciabatta recipe is made with active dry yeast, and can be made in 4 hours from start to finish. It yields two loaves which I split into 4 sandwiches. I’ve borrowed a few shaping techniques to bring some form and structure to the dough, and I also mix a little bit of rye flour in to bring a slight depth of flavour in absence of time to develop.
I hope you give this one a go, and enjoy a deli style ciabatta sandwich at home!
Same day ciabatta
Yields 2 loaves
Required equipment:
stand mixer
bench scraper
proofing bowl or box
spray bottle filled with water
2 x baking sheets
parchment paper
measuring spoons/digital scale
Ingredients
300ml lukewarm water (roughly 114-115f)
1 tsp (4g) instant dried yeast
1/2 tsp (4g) honey
75g dark rye flour
250g strong bread flour - I use Manitoba Oro
Method
Mixing and kneading (35 minutes)
Mix yeast and honey with 200ml water. Leave for 10 minutes until you start to see some activity.
Using a stand mixer - combine the two flours and yeast mixture. Mix on low with the paddle attachment until just combined then leave to rest for 15 min.
Turn the mixer back on low and gradually add the remaining 100ml water over 2-3 min.
Once combined add the salt and mix for another 2-3 min on low.
Switch to dough hook and knead for 5 min, starting slowly then increasing the speed to medium for the last couple of minutes.
Stretch and folds (60 minutes)
Transfer to lightly oiled bowl/container (I like to use a large rectangular shaped Tupperware to help with forming the shape), cover and rest for 30 min then perform one set of stretch and folds:
Wet your hands with water and scoop underneath one side of the dough.
Stretch that portion of the dough upwards, then fold it over towards the centre of the bowl.
Rotate the bowl 45 degrees and repeat until you’ve gone around all sides of the dough.
Tuck the top left corner (10 o’clock) over to the bottom right corner (4 o’clock) a couple of times, until the folded seams are now underneath.
Cover the dough again and rest for another 30 minutes, then perform dough lamination:
Wet your work surface generously with a spray bottle
Gently tip out the dough. Carefully pull and stretch each side to form a thin rectangle against your work surface.
Fold the left side over in 1/3, then fold the right side over the left. Start at the top end of the dough and roll it up downwards towards yourself to create a neat package.
Bulk ferment (60 minutes)
Place the now laminated dough back into your container, cover and bulk ferment for 1 hour.
Shaping and final proof (90 minutes)
Generously flour your work surface and the top of the dough.
Use a bench scraper to carefully release all of the sides of the dough before gently tipping it out onto the floured surface (floured side down), and once again flour the side of the dough facing up.
Use your hands to tuck any sides in - very lightly - to ensure it’s roughly squared - but be careful not to knock any air out of the dough.
Using a bench scraper, split the dough into two and carefully but quickly lift each one onto a piece of parchment paper.
Cover with a clean tea towel and leave for a final proof for one hour.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 250c /230c fan and let it heat up over the final proofing period. Place a baking tray in the bottom third of the oven, and another (upside down) in the top third - we’ll use this one in lieu of a baking stone.
Get several ice cubes ready and your spray bottle on hand ready to go.
Once the dough has had its final proof, use a chopping board or similar like a pizza peel and moving quickly slide each one on its parchment paper, onto the upside down tray at the top of the oven. The parchment paper will make this easier to do.
Immediately throw the ice cubes on the bottom tray and spritz the loaves and top/sides of oven with water - about 7-8 sprays. Closing the oven door immediately.
Bake for 12 minutes, then remove the tray with now melted ice cubes in it.
Bake for a further 15 minutes.
Remove the loaves from the oven and cool on a wire rack before enjoying.
