Making ciabatta with a poolish

[ellencho]

Ok so here's the ciabatta thread I promised.

Ciabatta is a rustic Italian bread that has a nice chewy crunchy crust, but has a soft, nicely textured crumb on the inside with lots of craggy large holes.

Here's a pic of a sandwich using the bread. I didn't make this particular sandwich, I stole the image from some other site online.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_0535.jpg

It's pretty easy to make and isn't a fussy bread, but what sets it apart from other breads is that it has a very wet dough (which is responsible for the large holes). It is a two day process at the very least. One day to make the poolish with at least an overnight refrigeration and a second day to form and bake the bread itself. Please note that on the day that I actually MAKE the ciabatta, we will be using more flour, water, yeast and some salt, so if you want to make this you need nearly 2 lbs of flour.

So you're probably asking - what's a poolish? A poolish is a yeast-based mixture that is pretty much the base of your bread. It's where the most of the flavor comes from, and can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator or frozen in the freezer for 3 months. I got this recipe from Peter Reinhart's "The Bread Baker's Apprentice".

Here's how you start:

2.5 cups (11.25 ounces) of unbleached bread flour (King Arthur is my favorite bread flour)
1.5 cups (12 ounces) of room temp water (better if it's bottled or filtered)
1/4 tsp (0.03 ounces) of instant yeast


Here are all 3 ingredients together.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1437.jpg

Mix them up in your stand mixer or by hand until everything is mixed evenly.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1440.jpg

Let it sit out at room temp for 3-4 hours, covered, and then refrigerate.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1442.jpg

It will bubble up a bit and smooth itself out during the room temp fermentation.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1444.jpg

When I start on the bread itself I'll post more pics and directions. But in the meantime, here is a list of the things I will be using or have used to make the bread.

A digital scale. I measure out all my ingredients in ounces or grams, depending on who wrote the recipe. I find that measuring things in cups isn't as accurate.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1434.jpg

This is my kitchenaid mixer. I bought it with my tax return a couple years ago. It is awesome.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1436.jpg

This is a pizza stone and to the left is my oven thermometer. The pizza stone is important in bread baking because it absorbs heat evenly as well as retaining it. If you bake your bread on a pizza stone you'll end up with a better quality crust. The thermometer is to make sure my oven is hot enough.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1435.jpg

Stay tuned for more of my ciabatta tutorial in the next couple of days. Feel free to ask questions.

[ellencho]

Ok, installment two of making ciabatta with a poolish.

Here's some more stuff you're going to need for day two of baking a ciabatta.

A spray bottle full of water.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1488.jpg

A sturdy metal pan of some type. This cast iron skillet is perfect for the job. You'll want your oven set up in this arrangement when you're ready to bake.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1487.jpg

Also, you'll need some nonstick cooking spray as well as some semolina flour or corn meal for getting your bread into the oven. And a cup of hot water.

Ok so I took out my poolish from the fridge, and let it rest at room temperature for an hour.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1462.jpg

After that I measured in the following ingredients
3 cups (13.5 ounces) of unbleached bread flour
1.75 tsp (0.44 ounce)of salt
1.5 tsp (0.17 ounce) of instant yeast
6 Tb to 3/4 cup (3-6 ounces) of water, lukewarm
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1463.jpg

I suggest you add in as much of the water as you possibly can. I added a little more than 6 Tb and it caused my final product to have a finer, more ven crumb than what I was looking for. Bread flour is high in protein and can hold in more water than regular all purpose flour, so when I make this bread next week I will be sure to add the entire 6 ounces of water.

Anyway, so mix on medium in your mixer for 5 minutes using the paddle attachment. Then switch to the hook for 2 minutes also at medium. IF you don't have a mixer, then mix vigorously with your hands, repeatedly dip one of your hands into cold water, and use it, much like a dough hook, to work the dough vigorously into a smooth mass while rotating the bowl in a ciruclar motion with the other hand. Reverse the ciruclar motion a few times to develop the gluten further. Do this for 5-7 minutes until the dough is smooth. You'll know your dough is ready when it clears the sides of the bowl.

After mixing with the paddle a couple minutes
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1464.jpg

After mixing with the dough hook 2 minutes
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1466.jpg

Now take some excess flour, and sprinkle it evenly over a clean workspace in a square about 12x8. Divide your dough into two even balls. Here's one of the doughballs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1469.jpg

Give the dough 2 minutes to rest on the countertop. Then flatten each ball out into a longish rectangle shape.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1468.jpg

Fold one end in, and then fold the other end on top, sort of like folding a business letter. Then stretch it out a bit, spray it with some non stick cooking spray, coat it with a bit more flour, then some plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1468.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1470.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1471.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1473.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1474.jpg

This is the dough after 30 minutes of resting. It's a tiny bit larger, but not by much.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1475.jpg

Do the same envelope folding thing with your dough, make sure you have enough flour under your dough. And then spray with non stick cooking spray and flour, then cover with plastic wrap. Let sit for 1.5-2 hours.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1476.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1477.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1478.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1479.jpg

This is after 1.5 hours of resting on the countertop.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1480.jpg

So while it's resting you can make yourself a couche. A couche is easy to make at home. It's basically a piece of cloth, that has flour embedded in it. To make it all you have to do is take a dish towel, spray it with a bit of non stick cooking spray, then sprinkle it with a fair amount of flour, then shake it up a bit to distribute your flour more evenly.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1481.jpg

So after your dough has risen, punch it down gently, stretch it a bit, and do that envelope folding thing one last time. You are now officially forming the loaf that will go into your oven. Set your two loaves upon your couche like this, spray with nonstick cooking spray, flour, and plastic wrap. Let it sit out 45-60 minutes.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1486.jpg

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Prepare the dough for baking by generously dusting a peel with semolina or corn meal. If you don;t have a peel you can use the back end of a wood cutting board, or even the back of a metal cookie sheet. If you're using a metal cookie sheet be extra generous with the dusting material.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1490.jpg

Stretch the dough out a bit to a size and shape you like. I like a fairly rectangular ciabatta. The finger dimples are there because that side of the dough stuck up higher than the other side of the dough. It's fine to even it out.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1489.jpg

So now that your oven is preheated to 500, have your timer set for 2 minutes. Slide your dough out onto the pizza stone. Pour 1 cup of hot water onto the metal pan. Close the door and wait 30 seconds. If you don't have one, then I guess you can use an upside down cookie sheet, but definitely don't use an insulated one.

So after those 30 seconds, open your oven door, and spray the sides of your oven with the water bottle, maybe 5 sprays on each side. Close the door, wait another 30 seconds. Then do the same spraying routine. Wait another 30 seconds, spray again and then shut the door and turn down the temp to 450. Bake bread for 10 minutes. Then open the door, rotate your loaves, and bake another 8-10 minutes. At this point, they should be done. If you have an instant read thermometer, the temp should read about 205 degrees in the center of the bread.

This was my final product. Next weekend when I bake I will be sure to use more water, but I figure, if you're a novice with bread baking, a less sticky dough might be less frustrating than a sticky dough. I'll post pics so you guys can see the difference.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1492.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1493.jpg

Go ahead and ask away if there are any questions. I'll do my best to answer them.

[kalbi]

Wow, that was really cool. Thanks for sharing. You just might be able to get this chicken-wing eating, burrito-chomping guy to get into home-cooking. Awesome. :)

[ellencho]

I'm glad you liked my tutorial kalbi, thanks :) You know, wings really aren't that difficult to make. The sauce is easily made on the stovetop and if you don't want to deep fry all those individual wings you can always just bake them in the oven until they've become a bit dried out and crispy.

Anyway, I know nobody's asked questions yet, but I have a feeling some might come up. Here's a couple answers.

Can I eat this bread immediately after it comes out of the oven?
You probably could, but not only would you burn your mouth, but you'd be preventing it from fully cooking. I recommend removing the ciabatta from the oven, and letting it rest on a wire rack for at least an hour. You can always re heat it up later. Even when you take your ciabatta out of the oven, it still retains some heat and will finish baking right on your countertop.

How do I reheat the bread?
Stick it in a 375 degree F oven for ~6-7 minutes right on the oven rack, without a pan or anything. It'll crisp up the outside and make the inside nice and steamy. If your bread has already been cut into and you want to reheat it, I recommend covering the cut end with a piece of aluminum foil, and then following the same instructions. If it's a really small piece of bread you're reheating, of course you'll decrease your baking time.

This recipe makes a lot of bread and I won't be able to finish it all on my own, how can I store this bread to keep it from drying out?
Well, bread usually isn't all that good for all that long after you bake it. If you're interested in saving it for the next day, cover up the cut end with some foil, and wrap the entire thing up in plastic wrap and a plastic bag. You could eat it at room temp the next day, but I usually heat it up in the oven to recrisp up the crust.

For longer-term storage, wrap up your extra loaf tightly in plastic wrap, then again in foil, then take a plastic supermarket bag, and tie it around then loaf and stick it in your freezer until the morning of the day you want to use it. Then let it defrost on your counter. When you're ready to use it, unwrap it completely, put it on a 375 degree oven for ~7-10 minutes and it's ready to serve. It should be good for about 3 months in the freezer.

I'm worried about using the peel or cutting board to get my bread into the oven, is there anything else I can do instead?
Yeah, you have to have a certain type of confidence and coordination to slide a loaf of unbaked bread from a peel or cutting board onto its destination. What some folks do is let their bread rest on a piece of parchment paper (found in the same aisle you get wax paper and foil in the supermarket) instead of a couche, and then just transfer that entire piece of parchment onto the baking stone, instead of using the peel. After the first 10 minutes of baking, slide out the piece of parchment from the bottom of the loaf of bread and finish baking as usual.
Ok, so if there's anything I left unanswered, let me know and I'll do my best to help.

[Dialectic]

Frankly, we've toyed with the idea of turning Fighting 44s into an Asian-American cooking site ("cook your way to freedom!") because "Down Home Cookin'" is clearly the best forum here :D

[DijabutiA]

Lets skip the BS.

Wheres the pictures of the final product? :mrgreen:

[lynjess]

Awwwwwww ellen, thanks so much for posting this. Very detailed and infomative, I am, printing it out now. I'll try it Monday, take pictures and post up my results. :)

[ellencho]

Ok, just in case you thought you had seen enough pics of my bread, here are some more pics taken of a ciabatta made with a much looser and wetter dough. In this instance I used double the water (6 ounces instead of 3).
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1537.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1538.jpg

ANd here's a comparison of a dryer dough vs a wetter dough's crumbs.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1493.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v250/ellencho/IMG_1540.jpg

I feel like the crumb of a wetter dough ciabatta is more tender than that of the dryer dough's ciabatta. It was definitely more difficult to work with the wetter dough but the end product makes the stickiness/tackiness worth it. Also, the crust seems to be thinner and crisper, which is another plus.