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Ciabatta from Scratch

Ciabatta was traditionally probably the first par baked product and was heated and / or baked at home prior to eating.

This is a traditional scratch recipe for Ciabatta that requires a starter dough to be made 24 hours beforehand.

First Dough:
Euro Flour 1000g
Dry Yeast 8g (double for compressed yeast)
Water 500g

Mix on slow speed to form a clear although quite firm dough. Place in covered container at room temperature for 24 hours.

Make up procedure for final production after first dough has sat for 24 hours:
Salt 20g
Malt Flour 10g
Water 200g
Olive Oil 50g

Add these ingredients to the first dough and mix well until very smooth soft dough is achieved.

Cover the dough and rest it for one hour then transfer to a floured bench and flatten to about 2 cm in thickness. If making large quantities then cut bulk dough into 2 to 3 kg pieces for easier handling.

Using a scotch scraper or other cutter, chop into fingers of about 10 x 20 cm. Either place these fingers on a floured board or cloth or straight on to trays. When doing so just stretch the fingers to provide a less uniform appearance to about 30 cm.

Final proof for about 30 minutes and bake for about 30 minutes in steam at around 220 Deg C. Ciabatta is best baked on the oven sole.

Tips:

1. If desired semolina can be used abundantly to provide a different more abrasive surface.
2. Olive oil can be brushed onto the surface when removed from the oven to make the crust more reflective and perhaps more appealing.
3. If your customers are concerned about excessive chewiness the addition of 2% or 20g olive oil to the first dough one will make the product easier to bite.