Sourdough Ciabatta
In this series of sourdough breads I explore the many types of bread you can make using a sourdough starter. I started with the first and most important step which is to make a sourdough starter. The next step is to bake a load of sourdough bread. Then you can explore the world of sourdough breads, such as focaccia. This next recipe is for a very popular Italian bread called Ciabatta, which means slipper in Italian.
Sourdough Ciabatta
Sourdough baking is so rewarding and with practice you can master it too!
Ingredients
- 500 g Bread Flour
- 100 g Fed Sourdough Starter
- 400 g Water
- 10 g Salt
Instructions
- Feed you starter early in the morning. Take 50 g of starter, 50 g of water and 50 g of bread flour. Mix them together and let it sit until it doubles size this may take 3 to 6 hours.
- Once doubled, add this 100 g of starter to a large bowl with 400 g of water at room temperature. Mix well and then add 500 g of bread flour. Mix everything well and cover. Let it sit for one hour to autolyse.
- After one hour, add 10 g of salt and mix well, making sure that the salt is well incorporated. Begin to stretch and fold the dough several times onto itself until the dough begins to resist the stretching. Cover the dough and wait 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, stretch and fold the dough onto itself four times around. Cover and let's sit for another 30 minutes.
- Repeat this process for a total of five times. After the fifth stretch and fold, cover the dough and let it bulk rise until it doubles and sides. This process may take anywhere between 3 to 6 hours. Do not let it overproof, so check it every hour to see how it fastest it is rising.
- Once doubled in size oil a square container with high sides. Dump the dough into the container and then oil a piece of plastic wrap, so that it does not stick to the dough. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
- The next day, preheat the oven to 500°F for one hour
- Dump the dough out onto a well flowered surface. Flour the top of the dough well. Using a floured bench scrape, form a rectangle about 9 x 11". This measurement does not need to be exact.
- Using the floured bench scrape, cut the rectangle in half. Then cut each half and half. Play Sparkman paper on an inverted baking sheet. Using two floured bench scrapes lift the roll and place onto the parchment paper.
- Lower the oven temp to 450°F and bake the rolls for 30 minutes. When you place the rolls into the oven, use a spray bottle filled with water and spray the walls of the oven to create the steam effect. This will help the rolls rise.
- Once golden brown removed from the oven to a wire rack to cool.
