Ingredients
- 1 cup warm
water 240 grams, (room temp, not too hot)
- 1 teaspoon instant
yeast 3 grams
- 2½ cups all-purpose
flour 300 grams, (properly measured)
- 1 teaspoon kosher
salt 6 grams
Instructions
1. Place the warm water and yeast in a large mixing
bowl and mix together. Let the mixture sit for 8-10 minutes until there is some
nice bubble action happening.
2. Once the yeast is active, add the flour and salt and
stir everything together. I use a silicone spatula which made scraping the
sides and bottom of the bowl easier. The dough will be wet and sticky and a
little shaggy. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow it to rest for 1
hour. TIP: I placed mine in the oven with a bowl of hot water, but you can also
leave it on the counter if it's warm enough in your house.
3. After an hour, wet your hands and fold and stretch
the dough four times all the way around the dough. Pull up two corners, stretch
lightly and fold over the top of the dough ball. Repeat this 2 more times.
Cover the bowl again with the plastic wrap and rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this
step 2 more times for a total of 3 stretch and fold sessions and an hour and a
half of additional resting time.
4. By now the dough should have doubled in size and be
nice and bubbly. Carefully remove the dough from the bowl onto a lightly
floured surface. TIP: lightly flour the top of the dough and your hands for
easier transfer. Carefully stretch the edges of the dough ball out to make a
rectangle about ¾" thick or so. Try not to squish the dough or all of that
air you worked so hard to create inside will get out.
5. Using a scraper or a sharp knife, cut the rectangle
into 5-6 even-sized squares. Place the squares on a piece of parchment paper,
cover with a towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest one more time for 40
minutes.
6. While the dough is proofing a final time, preheat the
oven and baking stone at 420°F. You can preheat the oven for the full 40
minutes to ensure your oven is nice and hot. About 15 minutes before the end of
final proofing, boil 2 cups of water and place an oven-safe pan or bowl with
the boiling water at the bottom of the oven and to the side so the steam has a
chance to reach the bread.
7. Once the dough has rested for 40 minutes, carefully
transfer the parchment paper with the dough squares onto the baking stone. You
can also have the paper and dough on a baking sheet and place the baking sheet
right on top of the baking stone. Bake for 20 minutes and then remove the rolls
and place them on a cooling rack.
Notes:
- Ciabatta
dough is a high-hydration dough. This helps develop those classic holes
in the bread. Don't panic if your dough is sticky and wet in the
beginning.
- Keep
your hands wet when handling the sticky dough during the folding process.
This prevents excessive sticking and keeps the dough moist.
- Parchment
paper helps prevent the dough from sticking during baking. You can place
the parchment paper right on the baking stone to prevent sticking.
- Adding
a bowl or pan of boiling water is a key step in the baking process. This
creates steam in the oven to keep the ciabatta rolls chewy but crispy on
the outside. It also helps create a beautiful brown color.
- Ensure
you allow the ciabatta rolls to cool completely on a wire rack. This will
help maintain the texture and avoid a gummy center.
- If
you live in a dry climate, you may need to add a little more water in
step 2 to ensure the dough is wet, sticky, and shaggy-looking. Add 1
tablespoon at a time until you are satisfied with the texture.
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