Whole wheat ciabatta
Description
Tasty baked goods for the whole family. Whole‑wheat ciabatta has the very pleasant taste of real wheat bread, yet it turns out just as airy, with a crisp crust, as the familiar ciabatta made from refined flour—only much healthier. Making it is easy; all you really need is the wish to do so. And a step‑by‑step recipe will help you along. Serve warm or chilled. Ideal with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
Prepare the ingredients with the finished sponge starter in mind; the sponge starter should be made 8–10 hours before you start kneading the dough.
- 2
Step 2
To make the sponge, 8–10 hours before you start kneading the dough, prepare 100 ml water, 100 g high-grade wheat flour, and 20 g wheat sourdough starter.
- 3
Step 3
Add the flour, sourdough starter, and water and mix thoroughly, cover with plastic wrap, and leave to ferment at room temperature for 8–10 hours.
- 4
Step 4
To make the dough, pour water into a bowl, dissolve the salt and sugar, and add 2 grams of fresh yeast for a more active fermentation process. You can skip the yeast altogether, but in that case increase the dough fermentation time. Pour in all the starter and mix well.
- 5
Step 5
Add the flour—white and whole wheat.
- 6
Step 6
Knead the dough; for best results, use a mixer with the right attachment.
- 7
Step 7
Gather the dough into a ball, cover with a lid, and leave to ferment. Every 45 minutes, three times, perform a fold using the “stretch and fold” method. During the first or second fold, work 1.5–2 tablespoons of olive oil into the dough.
- 8
Step 8
As soon as the dough has risen after the third fold, dust your work surface with whole grain flour. Carefully turn out the dough, trying not to knead it further so the air is preserved inside. Gently stretch the dough into a rectangle and cut it into 2 pieces.
- 9
Step 9
Generously flour a towel, arrange the ciabatta pieces on it, supporting them from the sides with rolls made from small towels, folding the towel between each piece so they stay separate. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- 10
Step 10
Preheat the oven to 250 °C together with the baking sheet you’ll use for the bread. Carefully—not to burn yourself—transfer the ciabatta to the baking sheet, spacing them apart. Bake for 10 minutes at 250 °C, then lower the temperature to 180 °C and bake for another 25–30 minutes.
- 11
Step 11
Cool the finished ciabatta on a wire rack.
- 12
Step 12
Well, now it’s time to enjoy delicious, wholesome ciabatta—fragrant, with a crisp crust and a porous crumb.