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Sourdough Ciabatta from Italy

Sourdough ciabatta bread is the perfect bread to slips prosciutto and salami in the middle of a crusty outside and soft on the inside.
Prep Time1 day 1 hour 10 minutes
Cook Time2 days 25 minutes
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegetarian
Servings: 12
Calories: 169kcal
Author: Lizzy Cascalheira

Ingredients

  • 1 cup active sourdough starter
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 4 cups bread flour

Instructions

Sourdough Starter

  • Day 1 - Time: 2:00 pm
  • The first thing to do for is is to have a ripe sourdough starter. The best way to do this is to feed the sourdough starter and let it rise.
  • Once that is done do a float test by taking a piece of the starter and drop into a glass of water. If it floats to the top like a piece of dough, get ready to mix the ingredients.

Mixing Dough

  • Around 7 p.m. I started mixing the dough.
  • First, get the bowl of a stand mixer and use the dough hook attachment. You can mix by hand.
  • Add the sourdough and water at room temperature and mix, then add one cup of flour at a time and mix on low.
  • Add the salt and one cup of flour and mix. Add the rest of the flour and mix until it is all combined and the dough is sticky

Stretch & Fold

  • This is a sticky dough so wet your hands then grab the edge of the pieces of dough to start the sets of stretch. Pull one end up, stretching it out as you pull upwards.
  • Then place the dough that is in your hands back into the center. Turn the bowl a quarter turn repeat another stretch and fold. Place back in the bowl with the cover and wait 15 minutes each time to complete 4 rounds of stretch and folds.

Rise & Ferment

  • For the first rise, place the dough in a large bowl with plastic wrap and shower cap and place in a warm place.
  • Transfer the dough to the refrigerator and allow it to ferment for 12-24 hours.

Shaping

  • Day 2- Time: 8:00 am
  • Check your dough the next morning to see if it is fermented with bubbles popping from the dough. Slide the dough gently out of the bowl to not disturb the bubbles too much and onto a lightly floured work surface.
  • Shape the dough into a large rectangular shape, and sprinkle flour on top. To get 8 equal pieces, cut it down the middle lengthwise. and then make three cuts on each side. You can make it smaller and make 10 which I do sometimes. To transfer, bench scraper to gently transfer the rolls to a piece of parchment paper onto a pan.
  • Cover with a tea towel and allow to rise for about 2 hours depending on the climate in the house. I find the more humid the harder for my bread to rise

Baking & Cool

  • Preheat the oven to 410º degrees put a cast iron skillet on the bottom rack and add a bit of water to the cast iron skillet on the bottom rack for steam.
  • Place the large baking sheet into the hot oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 15 minutes or until the crust is golden. Remove from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

Video

Notes

  1. I found the weather in Florida will affect the dough, make this on a cooler day with little humidity because the weather 
  2. My dough tends to rise within 12 hours but that is not the same for everyone.
  3. Don't skip the stretch and folds that is what makes all the bubbles in the bread.

Nutrition

Serving: 8g | Calories: 169kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 0.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 584mg | Potassium: 42mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.4mg