Fabulous Greedybread Focaccia-

It’s hard to find a GOOD ciabatta.

Sure, there are lots around BUT are they good?

Mainly no.

The texture and the taste needs to be right and in honesty, it’s not the easiest bread to make:)

BUT WELL WORTH IT!!

DELISH!

Normally I use and experiment with my most revered bread baker’s recipe, Carol Field’s Ciabatta or one of Peter Reinhart‘s…

BUT this recipe, is the GREEDYBREAD of all Greedybreadness!!

Woo, what a mouthful!!

Fabulicious and all that Greedy stuff!

Please note : this is a 2 day affair:) or at least overnight…no one night stands with this bread!

 I will stop rambling and let you enjoy this baby!!

ITS FULL GLORY!

80% hydration, lots of hydration with this bread.

DO NOT ADD MORE FLOUR, ITS SUPPOSED TO BE VERY GLOOPY!

I am not shouting or think anyone is dumb BUT this is important and I say it because I myself think I know best and have added more flour.

Not a good look:)

What will you need? (in 2 parts)

Pinch of yeast.

200 mls of warm water

3/4 of a cup  of Bread Flour or High protein Flour

1/3 cup of Plain flour

2 tsp of rye flour

2 tsp of wholemeal flour.

Just want to say, if you can get unbleached flour, do so.

Don’t want to sound pretentious but it makes for better bread.

If doesn’t need to be lovingly hand milled by the monks on some far forgotten Hinterland…

Just unbleached, not golden filagree yeast or anything:)

Unbleached is best for yeasty things:) as bleach plays round with the flour proteins which then affects the bread.

Lesson over, promise!

STARTER PLUS !

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and allow to get frothy.

Mix all flours together in a bowl.

Add in yeasty mix and mix well.

This is quite dry, so don’t be alarmed.

Cover and leave for 24-36 hours…

YEP, FLOUR THE TEA TOWEL!

After 24 hours, uncover and get ready to work it!

You will need your biga from above

A pinch of salt

1 tsp of yeast

3/4 cup of warm water

1 tsp malt powder.

1 & 1/4 cup of Bread flour.

BREAD ON THE TEA TOWEL

Dissolve yeast in the warm water and allow to become frothy as before):

Combine all dry ingredients .

Add yeasty mix to the biga and then add to the dry ingredients.

Use a mixer if possible.

Use the paddle on your mixer, this is VERY VERY hard to knead by hand because it is so wet.

Mix for about 5-6 minutes.

If it seems dry, add a little more water.

Put dough in an oiled bowl and cover.

Turn every 20 minutes for four times and then leave until doubled, usually about 90-120 mins after the last turn.

A WEE REST LEAVE

Flour a tea towel and then turn gloopy dough onto the tea towel.

I used the tea towel to work the dough, rolling it from side to side.

You want to stretch it out and then fold it three times.

Take one end, fold in a third, do the other end and then fold on top of one another.

Like an envelope, or a ‘slipper’!

SORT OF SLIPPER ISH?

Flour the top of the dough and put tea towel over it and leave to prove for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven now to 220-230 Celsius.

I have , as you can see , been using a dutch oven.

The bread is not proved in the dutch oven though.

The bread goes in the dutch oven , minutes before it goes into the oven.

Alternatively if you don’t have a dutch oven, when proving is finished, working quickly, place bread onto a baking tray that is well oiled.

Place bread in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on your oven.

It needs to be quite brown.

LID ON, IN THE OVEN!! NO PEEKING!!

If you use a dutch oven, make sure the lid is on tight.

No peeking for 20 minutes, then remove the lid for final 20 minutes and allow to get brown.

Remove from oven when done and allow to cool on a rack or in the dutch oven first for a bit, then a rack.

This is gorgeous and so nice when warm…

Very crusty crust!

Gorgeous holey crumb.

The holey texture is what you want!

ENJOY ENJOY ENJOY!!

HALF DONE…

VERY NICE!

COOLING..

YUMMY..

HOLEY MOLEY

HAVE A SLICE OR THREE!

LOVELY…

Adapted ever so slightly from Craig Ponsford original Ciabatta recipe.

Did you like this bread?

Have you tried my other Ciabatta?

Rewena Bread?

or

Garfagnana Potato Bread?

A BIT OF KIWI!