Ciabatta LoafA lovely crusty bread that is perfect dipped in Olive oil or topped with your favourite pesto.
 Ingredients You’ll Need
- 2 cups warm water
- ¼ tsp dried yeast
- 1 tsp salt (optional)
- 4 cups bread flour ('strong' or 'high grade' flour)
- 2 Tbsp Healtheries Gluten Flour
Getting Into It First Step Measure the warm water into a large bowl. Second Step Add the dried yeast and stir briefly. Third Step Leave for 5-10 minutes to allow the yeast to dissolve and activate. Fourth Step Add the salt and stir. NOTE: don't add salt to the water at the same time as the yeast, as that may prevent the yeast from activating. Fifth Step Stir in the flour and gluten flour and roughly mix into a stiff batter, scraping all the flour from the side of the bowl. You will be left with a very sticky ball in the bottom of the bowl. Sixth Step Cover the bowl loosely with cling wrap and leave it in a warm place for about 12 hours. After 12 hours, you will have a sticky, spongy, almost-pourable batter. Seventh Step Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F), and put the oven rack in the top half of the oven. Boil a kettle and half-fill a roasting dish with the boiling water. Place this dish on the bottom rack of your oven while it is heating. This fills the oven with steam, which produces a crispy crust on the ciabatta. Eighth Step Don’t start preparing the dough until the oven is up to temperature! Once your oven is hot enough, line a baking tray with baking paper, and sprinkle it liberally with bread flour. This will prevent the ciabatta dough from sticking to the paper during baking. Ninth Step Remove the cling wrap from the bowl, and sharply tap the bowl on the bench to deflate the spongy dough. Dip a dry wooden spatula into some flour, then scrape and pour the dough onto the floured baking tray. You can shape the ciabatta with your spatula or with well-floured hands. Tenth Step Put the baking tray into the hot oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until cooked. Half-way through cooking, quickly open the oven door and turn the bread around, then quickly close the door again. This ensures you get a golden finish on both sides of the loaf. Eleventh Step When you think the bread looks cooked, tap it. It should sound hollow, and appear golden. Cool it for 5 minutes on the baking tray, then transfer to a cooling rack. Tips for Measuring Baking IngredientsWhen measuring dry ingredients such as flour, level the cup measure with back of a knife blade. This ensures your measures are the same each time. You can do the same with teaspoon and tablespoon measures. Serving Suggestion Dip in Olive oil or top with your favourite pesto Related Products |