Back to basics.
The ciabatta, something I've not made in a long time, is the result of a request from new friends that own an Italian restaurant who complain of a lack of good bread in our area and wanted an easy recipie so they could make their own. Go figure everyone seems to want that but when you tell them that good bread takes time and technique they mostly lose interest. The reason ciabatta came to mind is that it uses commercial yeast, is fairly easy to make once you get used to handling high hydration dough, has minimal shaping and is surprisingly good especially for dipping in the olive oil they import. This is mostly white bread with the only consession to my preferences being some fresh ground high extraction white wheat and Kamut in the biga. The hydration in the final dough came to about 85%. This is the best tasting lean white bread I've made in memory and I think they will be happy.
It's been a busy summer with the vegetable garden which is the most productive it's been in a while. We have over 60 pints of tomatoes canned and at least as much green beans. Also have dried a bunch of the tomatoes and peppers. Speaking of peppers, I was amazed at how many jalapeños we got off just two plants, some are dried, some frozen, and we even pickled some. There are inumerable packets of various vegies frozen. And I found a new use for sourdough culture as a seed for pickling. Just add a pea sized piece to the brine and whatever else you are pickling in a jar with with a water filled ziplock bag as airock let ferment on the counter for about a week depending on temperature and taste and enjoy the best natural pickles imaginable. Also made sourkraut just salt and cabbage.
I hope everyone's summer was as productive and enjoyable as ours.
Stu
Comments
I've been wanting to try some white breads again for quite some time now. But I've been so satisfied with my whole wheat/rye, seeded breads... I've baked overproofed, poorly shaped breads that tasted just fine and kept very well for days. So every time I come back to white breads I get frustrated.
The thing with yeasted white breads is that they are very unforgiving with a less skillful hand and a less attentive eye. When done well, they are delicious, crunchy outside, soft inside, perfect! Do anything, out of the countless things that can go wrong, and what you get is a dull bread that is stale only the next day!
I have nothing but admiration for bakers who can make a good white bread.
The key is to use small amounts of yeast in this case only a pinch in the biga which had 150g flourand 3g in the main dough for 570g flour. Refrigerated filtered water was used in the biga to further slow the fermentation which lasted overnight on the counter. The bread is still fresh tasting today and it was made yesterday, I don't think there will be enough left to see how long it lasts.