I came across this ” extreme open crumb ciabatta”  in a uTube page while browsing the internet, and after watching the video by Mile Zero Kitchen, decided then to try the recipe. So starting a day before, about 11 am, I made the Poolish, and by 12.00 pm the next day, completed the bake. Though not a big fan of very large holes in the crumb, I was curious what this “method” could do.

I repeated the baking process two days later using the same recipe and method without any tweaking, and the results of the bake are the same. Pictures show the various steps.  Here it is, hot out of the oven; cooled and sliced.

For the recipe, google: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wa3fcMkRAG4 

I think watching the video is important as there are some steps that have to be followed closely. It’s a yeasted bread with very crispy crust, a soft and chewy crumb, and of course, very airy!

 

For the Poolish:

450gm Bread flour

200gm cold water

a pinch of dry yeast.

Mix the above until there are no dry spots of flour. Cover and stand at room temperature overnight for 14 to 18 hours.

Method:

The next day, into a KitchenAid bowl mix all of the poolish and add:

80gm (x2) cold water. (use x1 portion first to mix poolish, the other portion add later to the dough.)

50gm Whole wheat flour

5gm honey

 

10 gm diastatic barley malt

2gm dry yeast

50gm Olive oil

12gm salt, (add last after kneading 5 minutes)

At the start, showing the poolish and the mixing bowl with the 80gm water, honey, barley malt and whole wheat flour and yeast.

Using wet hands, tear the poolish into small bits for mixing with the other ingredients. This step makes it easier to mix the dough into one mass.

Begin mixing slowly, then after 5 minutes, add 80gm of water slowly, increasing the speed of mixing. Then add the olive oil very slowly too.

Mix the ingredients, except for the olive oil and salt, in 80gm water in the Kitchen Aid bowl. Run the mixer at speed 1 for five minutes, then add in the salt. Increase the mixer speed to 2, and add in the second lot of 80gm water very slowly. After kneading for 15 minutes, very slowly add in the 50gm olive oil so that it’s properly incorporated into the dough.When the oil is used up, you’re done! The total mixing time will be about 25 minutes and the end result should be a silky, smooth wet dough. Do the window pane test. If this is not achieved, knead a few minutes more, until the dough passes the window pane test.

After about 25 minutes of mixing, transfer and stretch the dough and allow this to relax for 10 minutes..

After 10 minutes of stretching, fold the dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled bowl to bulk bulk proof.

When doubled, tip the dough onto a floured work table. Cut this dough into 4 equal portions. Very gently shape these into an oval shaped loaves.

Transfer the dough on to the table top and with wet hands, spread the dough out as much as possible, stretch the dough into a sheet and let this rest for 10 minutes. After this time, fold the dough into the shape of a boule. Let this dough ball bench proof in a lightly oiled bowl for 2-3 hours depending on the room temperature. I did this for about 1 1/2 hours as the room temperature was high enough at 30˚C.

Dough cut into four and resting. It’s important to handle the dough very gently, so as not to break the bubbles inside.

Transfer the shaped dough onto baking paper to proof again for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Shown here are the loaves inside the oven which has been preheated to 230˚C.

At the end of this proofing, very gently, turn the dough out on to a floured table top, and sprinkle flour over the top surface before cutting the dough into 4 pieces. Using a scrapper, shape the cut dough gently into an oval shaped dough and transfer this on to baking paper on a baking tray. Do the same for the other three portions. Proof again, covered, on the baking paper for 1-2 hours, depending on the room temperature. Meantime heat up the oven, to 230˚C. Using a metal tray inside the oven, use 1/2 cup boiling water to generate steam later. Bake the loaves with steam for 35 to 45 minutes till brown. Remove the loaves and cool on a metal rack.

The pictures show the four loaves baking in the oven in two tiers, and the loaves cooling on a metal rack after they are done.

Here are the slices of one ciabatta loaf to show the crust and the crumb. The crust is crispy and the crumb very airy and light. The texture is spongy and very soft. The effort in using this method is worthwhile if you fancy extreme open crumb bread. Good for soaking up gravy or curry.

“Baking bread is a lot like growing your faith in the Lord, Carrie Louise. You mix together the best ingredients you can find and wait for the mixture to mature, but it’s the heat of the oven that makes it something of worth and substance. The same way the tribulations of this world mature a persons faith.” 

― Dorothy Loveł