Ciabatta

Ciabatta

    Light and airy ciabatta bread. A rustic Italian bread that’s great for sandwiches, appetizers or sides. Nut free Vegan recipe. Ciabatta is an Italian white bread made from wheat flour, water, salt, and yeast, created in 1982 by a baker in Verona, Veneto, Italy, in response to the popularity of French baguettes. Ciabatta is somewhat elongated, broad, and flat, and is baked in many variations, although unique for its alveolar holes.

   While panino indicates any kind of sandwich regardless of the bread used (whether slices or a bun), a toasted sandwich made from small loaves of ciabatta is known as panini (plural of panino) outside Italy.

Ingredients:

Starter/Sponge:

• 1/4 teaspoon (0.25 teaspoon) active yeast
• 1/3 cup (85 ml) warm water
• 1 cup (125 g) bread flour
• Bread
• 1 teaspoon yeast
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) warm milk (nut or plant based)
• 1/2 cup (125 g) water
• 2 cups (250 g) bread flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• oil for greasing

Instructions:

1.For the sponge, heat the water to a warm 110 degrees.

2.Add yeast to it and let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.

3.Add bread flour and make a soft sticky dough. Keep this dough covered at room temperature for 12-15 hours.

4.For the bread, Warm the milk and add yeast to it.

5.Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.

6.Add the sponge, bread flour, salt and water and use a hand mixer to mix everything.

7.Let this dough rise in a warm oven for about an hour. (keep a damp towel over the dough)

8.Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half.

9.Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour.

10.Cover loaves with a damp kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

11.Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until golden.

12.In the first 10 minutes, spray water over the bread every 3 minutes, for a softer crust.

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