Ciabatta Bread with Poolish

Before you start

Ciabatta is a flat, rustic Italian loaf named for its slipper shape. What defines it is the dough: very wet, barely shaped, and fermented long enough to develop a creamy, wheaty flavor and a crumb full of irregular, glossy holes. A poolish, an equal-weight batter of flour and water with a tiny pinch of yeast, does most of that work while you sleep.

On baking day the dough comes together quickly but stays sticky throughout. Instead of kneading, you strengthen it with folds in the bowl, and you never punch it down. The loaves are simply cut from the risen mass, flipped and baked hot with steam. A thin, crackly crust and holes big enough to trap olive oil are the goal; even, sandwich-loaf crumb means the dough was handled too much.

Ingredients

• Poolish200 g (1⅔ cups) bread flour
• 200 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water — room temperature
• ⅛ tsp (about 0.4 g) instant yeast
• Dough300 g (2½ cups) bread flour
• 200 g (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) water — about 30°C (86°F); hold back 20 g
• ½ tsp (1.5 g) instant yeast
• 10 g (1¾ tsp) fine sea salt
• all of it poolish
• Dustingas needed semolina or flour — for dusting

Method

1. The evening before, stir the poolish flour, water and ⅛ tsp yeast into a smooth batter in a bowl. Cover and leave at room temperature, about 21°C (70°F), for 12 to 16 hours. It is ready when the surface is domed and covered in bubbles and it just begins to wrinkle at the edges.
2. Add the 300 g flour, 180 g of the water and the ½ tsp yeast to the poolish. Mix by hand or on low speed for 2 minutes until no dry flour remains. Rest 20 minutes.
3. Sprinkle in the salt with the reserved 20 g water. Squeeze and fold until the water is absorbed, then beat in the bowl with a wet hand, or mix on medium for 4 to 5 minutes, until the dough starts to pull away from the sides in sheets.
4. Cover and let rise 2 hours at warm room temperature, giving 3 sets of stretch and folds at 30, 60 and 90 minutes. By the end the dough should have roughly doubled and feel bubbly and alive.
5. Dust the counter heavily with semolina. Tip the dough out, dust the top and cut it into two long rectangles. Use floured hands to nudge each into a rough 25 x 10 cm (10 x 4 in) slab and lift it onto the floured couche.
6. Proof 40 to 50 minutes, until puffy. Meanwhile heat the oven to 245°C (475°F) with the stone on the middle rack and an empty metal pan below it.
7. Flip each loaf onto a parchment-lined peel so the bottom faces up. Slide onto the stone, pour about 1 cup of boiling water into the steam pan and close the door quickly.
8. Bake 22 to 25 minutes, removing the steam pan after 10 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the loaves sound hollow when tapped, about 96°C (205°F) inside. Cool at least 45 minutes before cutting.

Tips for success

• Weigh the yeast for the poolish if you have a precision scale. Too much makes it peak and collapse long before morning.
• Wet hands for folding, floured hands for dividing. The dough sticks to anything dry and releases from anything damp.
• Bake a little darker than feels comfortable; a pale ciabatta crust softens within minutes.

Substitutions

Instant yeast

Active dry yeast works at about 25% more by weight. Dissolve the dough-stage yeast in some of the warm water first.

Bread flour

All-purpose flour gives a weaker dough; reduce the dough water by 20 g and expect smaller holes.

Semolina for dusting

Rice flour releases equally well and stays pale; plain flour works but can turn gummy where it soaks into the dough.

Variations

Rosemary and sea salt

Dimple the proofed slabs lightly, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with chopped rosemary and coarse salt before baking.

Ciabatta panini rolls

Cut the dough into 8 squares, proof 30 minutes and bake 15 to 18 minutes.

Troubleshooting

Poolish collapsed and smells boozy

It over-fermented, usually from a warm room or too much yeast. Use it anyway for a slightly flatter loaf, and next time shorten the time or use cooler water.

Loaves baked flat and wide

The dough was under-developed or over-proofed. Mix until it pulls from the bowl in sheets and bake as soon as the slabs look puffy.

Crumb is tight and even

The dough was degassed during dividing or the hydration was low. Weigh the water and handle the slabs as little as possible.

Storage

Eat within a day for the crispest crust. Store leftovers cut side down in a paper bag and re-crisp in a 200°C (400°F) oven for 5 minutes. Freeze tightly wrapped for up to 2 months.

Safety notes

Do not taste raw dough. Contains wheat.