CI Ciabatta recipe

[lulou23]

I saw an episode of America's Test Kitchen that made ciabatta. I am dying to try this recipe but don't own a stand mixer and briefly considered purchasing one just on my desire to make this recipe. I only occasionly bake and am unfamiliar with bread making techniques. Is anyone who is familiar with this recipe know how I make it without a stand mixer? TIA

[todao]

Sure - combine 5 1/2 ounces of unbleached bread flour with 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast and add 6 ounces of room temperature water. Stir just until all the flour is hydrated (it should resemble pancake batter) cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for about 3 hours (or just until it gets foamy). Refrigerate for 1 or 2 days. This is a poolish.
Bring it back to room temperature. Use a whisk to combine 6 1/2 ounces of bread flour with 3/4 teaspoon instant yeast. Add 3/4 teaspoon salt and the poolish you made previously along with about 2 Tablespoons of warm (about 90 - 100 degrees) water or milk. Stir the mixture, combining a vigorous stirring and folding motion alternately, rotating the bowl as you stir/fold, until all flour is hydrated. That should take about 7 - 10 minutes. Use oiled hands rather than a spoon for this. If the dough is too stiff add warm water about 1 - 2 teaspoons at a time until it becomes smooth and sticky.
Turn the dough out onto a well floured surface and press it into a large flat shape. Use a dough scraper to lift one side and fold it over onto itself. Stretch the dough lengthwise, fold it again. Repeat this about 8 - 10 times. Brush with oil and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest 30 - 45 minutes.
Oil your hands and stretch and fold it. turning the dough 90 degrees after each fold. Shape into a loaf on parchment paper covered baking sheet, brush or spray with oil, cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until nearly doubled in size.
Place in preheated preheated 500 degree oven for ten minutes. Turn the oven down to 450 degrees and bake an additional 5 - 15 minutes or until the internal temperature is 200 - 210 (205 is best) then turn out onto cooling rack and cool one hour before slicing.

[jiarby]

do you mean that water to be six FLUID ounces, or 6 ounces when weighed (as if using a baker's percentage kitchen scale) ??

[bushwickgirl]

Since todao never responded, I would say he meant that you weigh the water. If the dough seems too dry, you can always add more liquid, as he suggests. This is a high hydration (soft, wet, sticky) dough. Good luck, I mean to try it myself, as I have no stand mixer and make bread the old fashioned way, by hand, myself.

Questions? Check out this link:

www.thefreshloaf.com

Good luck, let us know how it works out.

[todao]

bushwickgirl is absolutely correct. Based upon her avatar, I suspect there's some successful bread making experience in her background. That takes some skill.
Although 6 fluid ounces should weigh 6 ounces it's not easy to get the perfect ratio using fluid measures; I would never prepare a bread formula using liquid measure - always weigh the ingredients when making bread.

[bushwickgirl]

Thanks. Although I have baked much bread in my life, both at home and professionally, the bread carving in my avatar is the handiwork of another's slightly deranged mind. I prefer to just eat my bread...

[Zeldog]

Fluid ounces or by weight? When it comes to water (and just about any watery liquid) they are the same. There's an old expression: "A pint is a pound the world around".