Overnight Ciabatta

Italian bread is delightful, and there are so many different kinds!  This overnight ciabatta was my first exposure to a very slack dough 17 years ago.  All of Susan's recipes on WildYeast have turned out wonderfully for me.  Her original formula made SIX loaves!  I have cut it down to two, especially since this bread is really best the first day, though it can be refreshed in the oven by dunking in water and heating again.  Typically, it's 7-12 minutes at 350º and you would be amazed at how that can resurrect a stale loaf!

 When this bread is fresh, just a little spread of butter or herbed olive oil is absolutely sublime.  Such a delightfully chewy crumb!

 Thank you to Karen for hosting this month's Italian Bread themed BreadBakers challenge!

Overnight Ciabatta
makes 2 loaves

Poolish Ingredients: 
152g white flour
51g whole wheat flour 
203g water at about 65ºF
scant ¼ t (2g) instant yeast 

Final Dough Ingredients: 
361g white flour 
237g cold water (about 40ºF)
All of the poolish
11g salt
⅓ tsp (3g) instant yeast 
17g olive oil

Method: In a large bowl, mix all the poolish ingredients until just combined. Cover and let ferment at room temperature for about 6 hours. The poolish is ready to use when the surface is creased and pebbled with bubbles.

Place all of the ingredients for the final dough, except about 20% of the water, into the bowl of a stand mixer.  (So that's about 190g of the water, and you really don't want to go over that yet!)  Mix on low speed for a couple minutes to incorporate.

Continue mixing on medium-low speed until the gluten has developed to a medium level. This might take 5-10 minutes, depending on the mixer. 

Add the remaining water and continue mixing until it is all incorporated and you have a dough that feels very soft but strong and springy.  This could also take 5-10 minutes.

Transfer the dough to an oiled container.  (Yes, it really does need to be oiled - for those that prefer to skip that step.)

To help with dough development, check the temperature of the dough. If it is around 72ºF, leave it out at room temperature until after the second fold, but if it is warmer (mine was 80ºF), put it in the refrigerator right away, taking it out only to fold. 

Fold the dough at 45 and 90 minutes. Be sure the container is very well oiled after the second fold so the dough will not stick when it is turned out onto the counter later. 

After the second fold, refrigerate the dough for 10 - 14 hours. 

When ready to bake, take the dough out of the refrigerator and let it warm up for about an hour. 

Turn the dough out onto a very well floured counter (be generous; you want to make sure the dough doesn’t stick, and any excess will just be left behind on the counter). 

Working from the center towards the edges and lifting up from underneath with the pads of your fingers, very gently stretch the dough into a rectangle about 2 cm in height. Try to degas the dough as little as possible. 

With a dough scraper or bench knife, cut the dough in half into two rectangles. Gently lift these pieces to a liberally-floured couche or tea towel, supporting the entire piece from underneath with your flat hands, keeping the floured side of the dough down.  Again, be very careful to degas as little as possible.

Cover the couche with plastic wrap.  Proof for 1½ - 2 hours at room temperature, until the dough is very light and full of gas. Alternatively, place the loaves in the refrigerator for 2 hours, then another hour at room temperature. 

Meanwhile, preheat the oven with a baking stone, to 475ºF. You will also need steam during the initial phase of baking, so prepare for this now with a pan of boiling water or lava stones. 

Prepare a piece of parchment paper the size of your baking stone, and put it on a peel or sheet pan. 

To transfer the loaves from the couche to the parchment, lightly sprinkle them with flour. Holding the edge of the parchment-covered pan right next to the edge of a loaf, grab the end of the couche, pull it taut and use it to flip the loaf over onto the parchment, so the heavily floured side is now up. Do this maneuver as gently as possible.  If the loaf does not detach, very carefully release the edges with a butter knife or your clean fingernails until it has peeled away.

To bake, slide the entire loaf and parchment onto the baking stone. 

Once the loaves are in the oven, turn the heat down to 450ºF. Bake for 8 minutes with steam, (adding the pan of boiling water before the loaf, or adding a couple ice cubes to a pan of lava rocks), and another 15 minutes or so without steam. The crust should be a rich golden brown. Once the crust is the color you want it, turn off the oven and leave the loaves in, with the door cracked open, for another 5-10 minutes.

Cool on a wire rack. Wait until completely cool to cut and eat.

A few folds really helps tighten up this slack dough.

Don't knock out those bubbles!

Doesn't look like it has done much.  Just wait for the oven spring.

They pop so much in the oven!  So much
more than the camera shows.

Ciabatta means slipper.  I guess they do 
kind of look like old ballet slippers.  

Be sure to check out the rest of our Italian breads this month:

• Cornetti Dolci (Italian Croissants):  Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Focaccia Bread Art:  Making Miracles
• No Knead Green Chutney Focaccia:  Cook with Renu 
• No Knead Potato Focaccia:  Sneha's Recipe
• Overnight Ciabatta:  A Messy Kitchen
• Sfincione Siciliano:  Food Lust People Love
• Sourdough Cherry Tomato Focaccia:  Zesty South Indian Kitchen

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.