CIABATTA - ITALIAN SLIPPER BREAD

Ciabatta in Italian means "slipper" and this simple, yet lovely loaf bread resembles exactly that, a slipper. It is an elongated, particularly flat bread characterized by its open crumb (those beautiful pockets or holes) and a chewy crust.

Ciabatta is the PERFECT bread for sandwiches, due to its rather flat bread like nature. Stuffed with classic Italian cured meats or pickled vegetables like eggplant and green tomatoes, this bread will definitely hold up. Oh and it is also great for "la scopetta", sweeping the sauce of your plate clean.

CIABATTA

Prep Time: 30 Minutes

1st Rest Time: 24 Hours (starter dough)

2nd Rest Time: 2 Hours

3rd Rest Time: 2 Hours

Cook Time: 20 Minutes per loaf

Servings: 2 Loaves

Ingredients:

Starter Dough

• 1 cup bread flour (or all purpose flour)

• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

• 1/3 cup water at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons water at 115 degrees F

Bread Dough

• 2 cups bread flour (or all purpose flour)

• 2/3 cup water at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons milk at 115 degrees F

• 1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast

Note: The dough for this bread will be wet and very sticky - do not add more flour! Also, a baking stone will be your best bet in producing a genuinely authentic Ciabatta loaf.

Instructions:

Starter Dough

1. In a small bowl, stir together the 2 tablespoons of warm water and yeast. Let it sit for approximately 10 minutes, until it begins to bubble.

2. In a large bowl, sift the flour. Next, add the yeast and room temperature water into the bowl and stir until well combined, with a wooden spoon or spatula.

3. Next, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside somewhere warm and draft-free for approximately 24 hours.

Bread Dough

1. In a small bowl, stir together the yeast and warm milk. Let it sit for approximately 10 minutes, until it begins to bubble.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer and with the dough hook attachment, sift together the flour and salt into the bowl.

3. Next, add the starter dough, warm water and EVOO and mix on low speed, until well combined.

4. Slowly increase the speed to medium and continue to mix for another 5 minutes.

5. Once it's done mixing, place the dough into a greased bowl (I prefer olive oil) and cover with plastic wrap. Set the bowl aside somewhere warm and draft free for approximately 2 hours. It should double in size.

6. After 2 hours, line two baking sheets with parchment paper and flour them well.

7. On a well-flour surface, transfer the dough and cut it in half, so that you have 2 pieces of dough. Place each piece of dough onto a parchment lined baking sheet.

8. At this time you will form each piece of dough into a rectangular loaf that is approximately 10 to 12 inches long. Then with well-floured fingers, make dimples into the top of the dough with your fingertips.

9. Dust the top of the loaves with a little bit of flour. Next, cover the loaves with a damp kitchen towel and set aside somewhere warm and draft free, for approximately 2 hours. This is the final proofing and the bread should double in size.

10. Approximately 45 minutes before it is time to bake the bread, place the baking stone in the oven, on the lowest rack and preheat the oven at 425 degrees F. Allow the baking stone to preheat for at least 45 minutes beforehand.

11. Once the baking stone is ready, transfer one loaf of bread with the parchment paper onto the baking stone, in the oven. Bake the loaf of bread for approximately 20 minutes, until lightly golden brown.

12. Once the first loaf of bread is cooked, remove from the oven onto a cooling rack. Next, proceed to repeat steps 11 and 12 again for the 2nd loaf of bread.

Buon appetito!