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Ciabatta Three Ways
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Source: King Arthur Flour
| We love this recipe. It yields an extremely light, air pocket-riddled loaf, wonderful for splitting lengthwise, to make a stuffed sandwich or the best garlic bread you've ever enjoyed. | |
| Overnight starter: | |
| 1 1/2 cups | King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour |
| 1 cup | cool water |
| 1/16 teaspoon | instant yeast |
| Dough: | |
| all of the starter (from above) | |
| 1 teaspoon | instant yeast |
| 1 1/2 cups | King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour |
| 1 1/4 teaspoons | salt |
| 1 teaspoon | sugar |
| 1 tablespoon | Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk |
| 1/4 cup | lukewarm water |
| 2 tablespoons | olive oil |
Directions
1) To make the starter: Mix the starter ingredients in a small bowl until well combined. Cover the starter and let it rest at room temperature overnight, or for up to 15 hours. It will become bubbly.
2) Place all of the dough ingredients, including the starter, into the bowl of your mixer, and beat at medium speed, using the flat beater, for 7 minutes. The dough will be very smooth, soft, shiny, and elastic. Alternatively, knead the dough ingredients in your bread machine using the dough cycle.
3) Transfer the dough to a greased bowl or other rising container, cover it, and let it rise for 2 hours, deflating it midway through. If you're using a bread machine, allow it to rise for an additional hour after the dough cycle has ended.
4) Lightly grease your work surface, and a half-sheet baking pan (18" x 13") or similar large baking sheet. Grease your hands, as well.
5) Very gently turn the dough out of the bowl onto your work surface; you don't want to deflate it. It'll lose a bit of volume, but don't actively punch it down.
6) Using a bowl scraper, bench knife, or your fingers, divide the dough in half. You should have two fat logs, each about 10" long x 4" wide.
7) Handling the dough gently, transfer each piece to the baking sheet, laying them down crosswise on the sheet. Position them about 2 1/2" from the edge of the pan, leaving about 4" between them.
8) Lightly cover the dough with heavily oiled plastic wrap or a proof cover, and allow it to rise for 60 to 90 minutes. Midway through, gently but firmly dimple the dough with your fingers, making fairly deep pockets. Towards the end of the rising time, preheat the oven to 425°F.
9) Spritz the risen loaves with lukewarm water. You'll see that the dimples have filled in somewhat, but haven't entirely disappeared.
10) Bake the loaves till they're golden brown, about 18 to 20 minutes. Remove them from the oven, and cool on a rack.
11) To make garlic bread: Prepare the topping by combining the minced garlic cloves, melted butter, olive oil and a pinch of salt.
12) Cut the loaves in half lengthwise, like you're going to make giant sandwiches.
16) To make pan bagna (a stuffed Italian sandwich): Split a ciabatta in half lengthwise, and brush each half with olive oil.
17) Fill the ciabatta with Italian cold cuts, provolone cheese, chopped olives, softened sun-dried tomatoes, sliced red onions, lettuce, basil leaves, sliced peppers or pimientos, or any combination of any similar sandwich-type fillings.
18) Wrap the sandwich tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, and top with a weighted baking sheet (a baking sheet with a couple of bricks or heavy cans on top).
19) Let the pan bagna rest under the weights for a couple of hours, then slice and serve.
Recipe summary
Hands-on time:
20 mins. to 25 mins.
Baking time:
18 mins. to 20 mins.
Total time:
16 hrs 8 mins. to 19 hrs 10 mins.
Yield:
2 loaves
Overnight
Tips from our bakers
Because this dough is so soft, it's virtually impossible to knead it by hand. Please use an electric mixer or your bread machine to knead the dough.
For extra-crispy loaves: When they're done baking, turn off the oven. Remove the loaves from the baking sheet, and return them to the oven, propping the oven door open a couple of inches with a folded-over potholder. Allow the loaves to cool completely in the oven.
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