June 13, 2013 - 6:47am
My first ciabatta
I didn't get tot take a picture of the crumb because I didn't slice it until right before I left for work this morning. I will tell you that all of the air pockets settled at the top and as a result the bottom half was a bit more dense. Is this because I didn't flip the dough? Or maybe I didn't degas enough? At any rate, it looks good and tastes fine (by first-loaf standards).
Any advice concerning the air pocket distribution is appreciated.
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Can't comment on the crumb.
Happy baking
Certainly some bakers (Richard Bertinet for one) recommend "flipping" the ciabatta just before baking to re-distribute the air pockets. Personally, I get so few large air pockets that they don't need re-distibuting :-)
I do my ciabatta I use a well floured couche. I place tops down on couche scrunching slightly to create pretty creases. flrip on board and stretch to pan. Works great. Not sure what it does for bubbles but I get a nicer crust this way.
especially if you bake on a hot stone. I heat my stone on top of the stove and get a nice spring. Seems to even out the air pockets, too.