Ciabatta

Look out, it’s the dreaded Ciabatta monster! This thing is wet and frustrating and difficult to work with but also bubbly and delicious.

Ingredients:
500g flour
475g water
15g salt
2tsp yeast.

And that’s it. Put all the ingredients in the bowl, and get that gluten going! A stand mixer is helpful here like none other. I don’t have one. It almost resembles a batter more than a dough so hand kneading is out of the question. I mix it for 5 minutes at a time and take breaks. With a stand mixer it can be anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes before the dough starts coming off the sides of the bowl.

Let it rise until tripled in a well oiled bowl (takes 2-3 hours depending on the weather)

Turn out onto the heavily floured counter and cut into three or four piece, then let them proof for about 45 minutes. Meanwhile, crank the oven up to 500˚ F.

Beg and plead the loaves into loaf shapes on a sheet of parchment paper or a damn well floured peel. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Ta-da.