Homemade ciabatta
Description
First of all, for those who don't know yet, I'd like to tell you that ciabatta is a traditional Italian bread made from yeast dough, resulting in a very airy loaf with characteristic large holes in the crumb and a crispy crust. In short, it's incredibly delicious, and in this homemade ciabatta recipe, I'll explain in detail how to make this bread. But I should warn you right away that it will take quite a bit of time—about 17 hours from start to finish. However, during most of this time, you won't need to do anything. Well, haven't you changed your mind about making this excellent Italian bread yet? Then take a look at my step-by-step photo recipe for homemade ciabatta and go ahead confidently. Serve warm or cooled. Perfect with tea.
Instructions
- 1
Step 1
First, prepare the starter. Pour 2 tablespoons of warm water into a glass and dissolve the yeast in it; let this mixture sit for 15 minutes. After that time, add 130 grams of flour and 70 ml of warm water, mix everything well, and let the starter sit for 12 hours.
- 2
Step 2
After 12 hours have passed, continue preparing. Now mix warm milk and ½ teaspoon of yeast in a cup, let it sit for 5 minutes. Pour this mixture into a blender, add flour, salt, and olive oil, then mix. Finally, incorporate the starter into the dough and add warm water.
- 3
Step 3
Knead these ingredients into a smooth dough, transfer it to a bowl, cover with a towel, and let it rise in a warm place for 3 hours.
- 4
Step 4
Next, we line the baking pan with parchment paper and brush it with olive oil. Carefully transfer the dough into the pan, cover it again with a towel, and let it rise for an hour.
- 5
Step 5
After an hour, we sprinkle the surface of the future ciabatta with flour, preferably rye, but wheat flour will also work.
- 6
Step 6
Preheat the oven to 230 degrees. Place a small pot of water on the bottom rack to create steam. Bake the ciabatta on the middle rack for 25 minutes, then turn off the oven but leave the ciabatta inside for another 10 minutes without removing it.
- 7
Step 7
We take the baked bread out of the oven, let it cool under a towel, and then we can finally taste our ciabatta.