Ciabatta

After spending all summer baking traditional sourdough loaves: banneton for the second rise, cast iron pot for baking etc..., I decided to take it up a notch. Up the hydration scale, that is. My usual loaves are 75% water to flour ratio, which is a bit sticky but very manageable when it comes to shaping the loaves. This recipe from Artisan Sourdough Made Simple, uses an 80% ratio of flour to water. Much wetter than I am used to, but I still felt comfortable handling it despite some tricky moves!

The great thing about this recipe is that you run it in the stand mixer for 13 minutes! A novelty for me. Then you do the pull and fold routine every 15 minutes, four times, before leaving overnight for the bulk rise. There's no shaping these loaves as they are way too wet. You merely fold the dough once, cut into two or three pieces, dimple with fingers, let sit for an hour, and then, here's the tricky bit, turn each one upside down with floured fingers and try not to be disappointed that they look like they've fallen never to rise again 😅.

Pop them into a 425°F oven with a cup of water in a hot baking pan on a lower shelf, for 25-30 minutes. Just try to wait the hour for them to cool down before cutting into these puppies. I couldn't 😋.

The 13 minute mix

During the stretch and fold in an oiled pan.

Upending after the bulk rise and folding over itself

Cutting the mother load and dimpling prior to baking