Home-made ciabatta

Home-made ciabatta with lemon curd from Christmas from a dear friend

I made some ciabatta this morning based on a recipe by Bakerzin Artisan Bread.

Here's the recipe:

500g bread flour plus extra for dusting

2 tsp salt

2 g instant yeast

1 g bread improver (I omitted this because I suspect this is a form of preservative or additive which I don't prefer to use)

350 ml water

25 g olive oil (I used extra virgin. But of course.)

Method

1. Add flour, salt, yeast and bread improver into mixing bowl, then add about 230 ml of water and start mixing at low speed. Mix for about 3 minutes.

2. Add remaining water and oil gradually, and increase speeed to medium and mix for 10 min. Increase to medium-high speed and mix for another 10 min; and finally, to high speed for 5 min. Mix until the dough is well developed, does not stick to the wall of the bowl and can be stretched without resistance.

3. Place dough in container that has been oiled and floured. Allow dough to rest and double in size, about 1 hour or more. Then turn it out onto a floured top and spread it gently. Fold dough in half from left to right, and top to bottom. Place proofed dough in another container and allow to proof a second time for another hour or so.

4. When dough has doubled in volume, turn it out onto a floured top and flip it over.

5. Gently spread the dough out to form a square about 3cm thick. Careful not to break air pockets when handling.

6. Trim dough sides to neaten, then halve it into 2 rectangular loaves, 20x10cm

7. Lightly flour a baking sheet and bake loaves in a pre-heated oven at 230 degrees Celsius for 18-20 minutes, until the loaves have risen and turned a nice golden brown. Remove and allow to cool on wire rack. 

Have fun, if you dare.

Click here to read What is Ciabatta?