Sourdough Ciabatta

Step 1

To a bowl add: 368g strong bread flour and 8g salt.

Step 2

Mix it up.

Step 3

Then add: 74g starter and 327g water.

Step 4

Combine everything until all the flour has been hydrated.

Step 5

Then add 23g extra virgin olive oil on top of the dough.

Step 6

Leave the dough to rest for an hour.

Step 7

Mix the dough to incorporate the oil.

Step 8

Pour the dough out onto the kitchen counter and perform slap and folds. Enough until you feel like the dough is coming together.

Step 9

Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Step 10

Then perform a coil fold. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.

Step 11

Perform another coil fold.

Step 12

Then move the dough to a bulking container and let it grow by about 25%.

Step 13

It took about 3 hours for my dough to grow in my proofer set to 30 degrees Celsius/86 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 14

Then grab the dough and put it in the fridge to retard for at least 8 hours, up to 48 hours.

Step 15

When you are ready to bake, heat your oven to 250°C/480°F, with a baking steel and a small pan inside used to create steam.

Step 16

When the oven is hot, boil a kettle of water.

Step 17

Flour your counter liberally. Turn your bulking container upside down and let the dough come out.

Step 18

Flour the top of the dough. Again liberally.

Step 19

Divide the dough into two equally sized pieces.

Step 20

Tug the sides with your bench scraper to shape it into a rounded rectangle.

Step 21

Then move the doughs to a parchment-lined peel. If your peel isn’t big enough, you’ll have to do it over two times.

Step 22

You might want to dust it with more flour if some of it gets absorbed while shaping. Then move the doughs to the oven.

Step 23

Pour a kettle of water into the small pan. Close the oven and bake for 20 minutes.

Step 24

Then remove the steaming pan and lower the heat to 200 degrees Celsius/390 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 25

Bake for another 10 minutes. When they are done, take them out of the oven and place them on a wire rack.

Step 26

Take them off the parchment paper and let them cool completely.