Ciabatta

Ingredients

• Poolish
• 2 1/2 cups (11.25 oz.) bread flour
• 1 1/2 cups (12 oz.) warm (100F) water
• 1/4 tsp. instant yeast
• Sprinkle the yeast in the flour and whisk to combine. Pour in the water and stir until evenly combined. Poolish should be the consistency of thick pancake batter.
• Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 3-4 hours, or in a 100F oven for 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
• Dough
• 3 cups (13.5 oz.) bread flour
• 1 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1 1/2 tsp. instant yeast
• Between 6 Tbsp. and 3/4 cup warm (100F) water

Instructions

1. If the Poolish was in the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature first.

2. Whisk the flour, yeast and salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the Poolish and 6 Tbsp. of the water.

3. Stir with a rubber spatula until a wet, shaggy ball forms. Add more water as needed, one tablespoon at a time until all the flour is incorporated into the dough. I used a bit more than 1/2 cup.

4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for 15 minutes.

5. Generously flour a clean counter and turn the dough onto it. Gently flatten the dough a little, then fold it onto itself. Turn 90 degrees, flatten and fold again. Repeat this a few times until the dough is smooth and supple. Do not rip the dough.

6. Leaving the dough on the counter, spray it lightly with cooking spray oil, dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 30 minutes.

7. Uncover the dough and repeat the flatten-fold-turn several times. Spray again with oil, lightly flour and cover again. Let sit for 2 hours.

8. Uncover and, using a pastry scraper or large flat knife, cut (don't rip) the dough into 3 pieces. Very gently tug the pieces into oblong loaf shapes. Be creative and find a concave surface to cradle the loaves. Spray with oil, lightly flour, cover again. Let rise for 1 more hour.

9. While the dough does its final rise, preheat the oven to 500F. Find two all-metal baking sheets.

10. When the oven is up to temperature, pour 1 cup of water into one of the baking sheets and carefully slide it on the lower rack of the oven.

11. Five minutes later, dust the other sheet with flour and oh-so-carefully transfer one or two of the loaves onto it. Generously spray the loaves with water. Place the sheet on the middle rack of the oven.

12. After two minutes, open the oven and carefully spray the loaves again with water. Reduce the oven temperature to 450F.

13. Ten minutes later, rotate the pan 180 degrees.

14. After another ten minutes, remove the loaves from the oven. They should make a hollow sound when tapped. Place them on a cooling rack and cool for at least 45 minutes.

15. Repeat the cooking process for the remaining loaf(ves).