Ciabatta first time.
I made a test run of ciabatta that I will be making for a party in a few weeks. Overall I'm pleased with the results. Here is what I did and what I would change the next time.
Took 25g of my No Muss No Fuss starter (spelt whole grain I grind) and made 30% starter in one fell swoop- 500g flour, KABF and Semolina, and the same water. Left it for 16 hours on the counter.
5lbs KABF
2.2lbs Semolina from this mix I took 500 g for the starter
Water 80%
Salt 2.5%
CY 1.3%
Mixed starter, water and all the remaining flour in the DLX until just incorporated. Let sit 10 minutes then added yeast and mixed on high (I have the 450Watt) for 8 minutes. Added the salt slowly and mixed another 4 minutes. This maxed out the DLX but it worked. Dough temp = 80 dF.
Transferred to DoughMate plastic container. S&F 3 times in the next hour plus. Divided at the 90 minute mark and put on reversed sheet pan with parchment. Let proof 30 more minutes and baked.
Preheated the oven for 45 minutes at 500 dF with a piece of 1 1/4" soapstone in the middle. Launched the first batch (4 loaves) onto the stone and poured a cup of water into a tray on the bottom of the oven. 5 minutes later another cup of water. At the 10 minute mark I turned the oven down to 425 dF and baked another 15 - 20 minutes. Internal temp 209 dF.
What I would do differently. When dividing the dough I followed the Heitz method and put a piece of scrap on the top of the dough, then flipping it over to proof on the parchment. The drawback to this is the dough stuck enough to the parchment that I didn't try to flip the pieces over. I made 7 loaves with all that dough. Next time I will proof on linen and flip them onto the parchment right before launching them.
They got a bit of rough handling this first time and I think it might have affected the open crumb.
Comments
Trying to add images.
Sorry about the rotated images.
I usually make whole grain breads using a natural starter only. This method worked well, the crust is thin and chewy with the crumb soft and moist.
Comments and questions welcomed.
For a first try, you are way out in front. Really nice results.
alan
should be pleased.The holes might be better at 85% hydration. With so many posts on ciabatta of lat Lucy is going to come up with a sprouted whole 9 grain grain version for individual sandwich thins at somewhere around 75 g each or so and 90% hydration if I can figure out how to keep them thin but still big area wise without rolling them out and squishing out all the bubbles. Lucy always gets the easy part since she only has to come up with the formulas
The thing about ciabatta is that you want to proof them covered on a well floured counter -,not on parchment - so you can easily flip them onto the parchment right before baking They don't mind the extra flour in the counter - you could use semolina too,.Yours look great .
Well done and happy baking
Here is the crumb shot of one of the 9 loaves I made for the party. I upped the hydration to 85%. It worked out well. Next time I will make the loaves a little smaller for better handling and sandwich size. I can't figure out how to insert photos in the right orientation. TechnoDino.