Sourdough Ciabatta

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Crusty small loaf bread with a soft chewy center. Sourdough ciabatta is a prefect bread for sandwiches or just dipping in olive oil. This bread is similar to the french bread but smaller and flatter. I started with this bread before attempting to make more difficult recipes. With only a few ingredients, this bread is easy to make and delicious.

Sourdough is a lot like other dough but has a distinct sour flavor. The sour flavor comes from the natural yeast used to make the dough. This yeast is called starter. Made with flour and water, it is a natural rising agent found to be full of probiotics and easier to digest than store bought yeast. Sourdough usually takes longer to rise. The longer rise time ferments the dough and enhances the sour flavor. It has been shown that even people with wheat sensitivity can eat sourdough breads when left to ferment for long times before baking.

I have a recipe to make sourdough starter. It takes a few days to make it, but once it is ready, you can keep it a lifetime when caring for it.

Sourdough ciabatta requires active sourdough starter. Feed the starter 4-12 hours before making this dough so that is active an bubbly. Once the starter passes a floating test on water, you can continue below.

Start by measuring out 226 grams of active sourdough starter to a medium bowl.

Next add 440 grams of filtered water and 17 grams of sea salt. Mix well until combined.

Next I add 640 grams of unbleached or freshly milled flour and stir until flour looks moistened.

To see what grain mill I use and how to mill wheat berries, visit Milling Wheat Berries.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap or wet towel for 30 minutes to hydrate the flour.

Start the stretch and fold method. I will do 3 rounds of 15 minutes apart and 3 rounds of 30 minutes apart. One round consists of taking one side of the dough and pulling it up 6-12 inches by shaking and wiggling the dough, then folding the dough over into itself. Repeat all four sides of the dough until you have gone around the bowl.

After the stretch and folds are complete in about 3 hours, the dough should pass the window pane test and ready to rise. The window pane test is passed when you can take a piece of dough between your fingers and stretch it out thin enough to see light through it without breaking the pieces of dough. This means there is enough gluten formed to make a good loaf of bread.

Once the dough is ready to rise, shape the dough into a ball and place in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid so it is air tight. Let the dough rise until it has doubled. In the winter I let the dough sit on the counter over night and its ready by morning. In the summer, I let it rise but then place the bowl in the fridge to finish fermenting over night. If the dough over ferments, the dough will be a sloppy mess and loaf is not great. One could bake the loaf after the summer rise if it only takes a few hours but I like to ferment mine to add all the benefits of sourdough.

In the morning it is time to carefully pull the dough out of the bowl and place on lightly floured surface. Trying not to pop the air bubbles, I stretch out the dough into a rectangle shape.

Then I cut the dough into 8 pieces. Place the pieces of dough on a parchment lined baking pan. Cover with towel and let rise until puffy.

Preheat oven to 460 degrees. *Optional, add pizza stone to oven to heat up. Place dough on pizza stone when hot to bake. Add a couple ice cubes inside oven for crustier bread.

Bake dough for 20 to 25 minutes. Loaves should be golden when done. Take out of oven and let cool on baking pan.

Store bread in airtight container or bag only after it is completely cool. Otherwise steam and moisture will build up on loaves and cause early spoilage.

Bread is good for 4-7 days at room temperature or you can freeze for up to 1 year in deep freezer. Simply pull out loaves as needed and let come to room temperature before eating.

Yield: 8 loaves

Sourdough Ciabatta

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Small crusty loaves with a soft chewy center. Perfect sandwich loaf or used for dipping.

Prep Time 1 day 3 hours

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 1 day 3 hours 25 minutes

Ingredients

• 226 grams (1 cup) active sourdough starter
• 440 grams (2 cups) filtered water
• 17 grams (1 Tb. ) sea salt
• 640 grams (4 & 3/4 cup) unbleached or freshly milled flour

Instructions

1. Start by measuring out 226 grams of active sourdough starter to a medium bowl.

2. Next add 440 grams of filtered water and 17 grams of sea salt. Mix well until combined.

3. Add 640 grams of unbleached or freshly milled flour and stir until flour looks moistened. Cover bowl with plastic wrap or wet towel for 30 minutes to hydrate the flour.

4. Start the stretch and fold method. I will do 3 rounds of 15 minutes apart and 3 rounds of 30 minutes apart., the dough should pass the window pane test and ready to rise.

5. Once the dough is ready to rise, shape the dough into a ball and place in bowl. Cover with plastic wrap or a lid so it is air tight. Let the dough rise until it has doubled. This can be over night at a cooler room temperature or if doubles fast, place in fridge over night to ferment dough.

6. In the morning it is time to carefully pull the dough out of the bowl and place on lightly floured surface. Trying not to pop the air bubbles, I stretch out the dough into a rectangle shape.

7. Then I cut the dough into 8 pieces.

9. Place the pieces of dough on a parchment lined baking pan. Cover with towel and let rise until puffy.

10. Preheat oven to 460 degrees. *Optional, add pizza stone to oven to heat up. Place dough on pizza stone when hot to bake. Add a couple ice cubes inside oven for crustier bread.

11. Bake dough for 20 to 25 minutes. Loaves should be golden when done.

12. Take out of oven and let cool on baking pan.

13. Store bread in airtight container or bag only after it is completely cool. Otherwise steam and moisture will build up on loaves and cause early spoilage.

14. Bread is good for 4-7 days at room temperature or you can freeze for up to 1 year in deep freezer. Simply pull out loaves as needed and let come to room temperature before eating.