Excellent choice! Homemade ciabatta is a rewarding baking project. With its crisp, crackly crust and soft, hole-filled interior, nothing beats the smell and taste of a freshly baked loaf.
This recipe uses a “biga” (an Italian pre-ferment), which is the secret to achieving that classic, complex flavor and wonderful chewy texture.
Homemade Ciabatta Bread
Yields: 2 loaves
Prep time: 30 minutes (plus 12-24 hours for the biga)
Rising time: 2 – 3 hours
Bake time: 20-25 minutes
Ingredients
For the Biga (Starter):
· 1 ½ cups (190g) bread flour
· ½ cup (120ml) cool water
· ⅛ teaspoon instant or active dry yeast
For the Final Dough:
· 2 cups (250g) bread flour
· 1 ½ teaspoons instant or active dry yeast
· 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
· ¾ cup (180ml) warm water (about 100°F / 38°C)
· ¼ cup (60ml) milk, lukewarm
· All of the prepared biga
· Olive oil for greasing the bowl
Special Equipment
· Stand mixer with a dough hook is highly recommended (or a lot of arm strength for hand-mixing)
· Bench scraper
· Parchment paper
· A baking stone or steel (highly recommended for a crisp crust), or a heavy baking sheet
Instructions
