Submitted by summerbaker on November 7, 2009 - 8:42pm

Jason's Quick Coccodrillo Ciabatta - Thanks LilDice

So many people here have been happy with this ciabatta recipe that I had to try it.  I am definitely a happy customer.  It was quick and incredibly flavorful, easily competing with ciabattas that I have made in the past that had to be started the day before.  The only thing that I would change is that I would add a small amount olive oil to the dough next time just because I am partial to ciabattas with more of an olive oil flavor.  The recipe is here:

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/2984/jasons-quick-coccodrillo-ciabatta-bread

One word of advice about transferring the dough to your parchment at the end: Do whatever it takes to make the dough not stick to your fingers.  Wet them or oil and flour them.  I found that if I could get the dough to slide off of my fingers during the transfer the loaves would be nicely stretched but not mangled and mixed in with the dry flour on the outside (no dry flour pockets in the finished loaves).

One more thing:  I mixed everything by hand, beginning with a 20 min autolyse (flour and water).  After I mixed in the yeast and salt I dumped it out on the counter and stretched and folded as best I could for about five minutes.  I then put it back in the bowl and did three stretch and folds in the bowl at 20 minute intervals.  I got a windowpane by the last one.

Proofing loaves.

Finished Product.  I tripled the recipe and there were four more loaves in the oven at this point.

A bit of a bubble, but part of the ciabatta charm in my opinion!

Summer

Submitted by GalacticOverlor... on May 15, 2008 - 12:48pm

1 day Ciabatta

1 Day Ciabatta

Sightly enriched, rustic dough, indirect method, ca. 8 hours elapsed time to make.
Yield 4 medium Ciabatta loaves and 12 fat rolls.

POOLISH

475 gm 12% or more protein content white flour
25 gm rye
700 gm hot water,
2 teaspoons instant yeast*

Mix all ingredients and whisk until smooth and showing elasticity, loosely cover and leave on counter 4 hours, fermentation will be vigorous.

DOUGH

The poolish
500 gm white flour as above
20 gm salt
6 tablespoons dried milk
2 tablespoons olive oil

Whisk the oil into the poolish,make a well of the dry ingredients on the counter and rough mix, the dough will be sticky. Using one hand and a bench knife in the other grab the dough with your fingers, pull straight up and let slap down onto the counter. Keep doing this until the dough is very elastic, takes me 2-3 minutes. The dough should be stretching 12-18 inches and reasonably smooth but it doesn't have to be perfectly smooth.**

Sprinkle a little flour over the dough and counter and gather the dough together, it is very soft but coherent and elastic.

Stretch and fold 4 times at 10 minute intervals.

Leave, well floured, covered, on the counter to double.

Without knocking down cut the dough into 8 pieces. Divide 4 of the pieces into 3 making the 12 rolls.

Stretch and fold each piece to a fat roll or loaf.

proof en couche , seam side up to double and very wobbly

Bake the rolls first, inverted, at your oven's top temperature immediately turned down to 220C, about 10 minutes, internal temp 94C.

When the rolls are baked, and the oven has recovered, invert and stretch the large dough pieces into the correct Ciabatta shape and bake IMMEDIATELY same oven temperatures as the rolls, ca. 20 minutes, same internal temperature

So light it almost flies.

Put the poolish on in the morning, Ciabatta for supper or dinner.

*Yes, 2 teaspoons is a hell of a lot for a poolish but it's a short preferment and there's no extra yeast in the main dough.

** You could, with equal effect run it through a heavy duty mixer with a dough hook at MEDIUM speed for 5 minutes or so.