Sourdough Ciabatta Bread
Rustic, chewy sourdough ciabatta with an open, holey crumb. The ideal sandwich bread!
Ingredients
Levain/starter
- 25 g sourdough starter
- 50 g all-purpose flour
- 50 g water
Dough
- 420 g bread flour
- 340 g water
- 15 g olive oil
- 10 g salt
- All the levain around 120g
Instructions
Day 1
- Mix the starter ingredients in a clean jar. Leave to peak in a warm spot for 4 to 6 hours, until at least doubled but not collapsed.
- When the starter is nearly ready, mix the flour and water into a shaggy dough in a large bowl. Cover and rest for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Add the risen starter, salt, and olive oil. Squish in with wet hands until fully combined.
- Rest 10 minutes, then do a set of stretch and folds or coil folds, always with wet hands. Repeat 4 to 5 more times over the next 2 hours. The dough will strengthen noticeably as you go.
- Leave the dough to finish bulk in a warm spot (ideally 25°C / 77°F) until risen by 30 to 40% with visible bubbles and a soft, jiggly feel. This usually takes another 2 to 4 hours.
- Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours.
Day 2
- Tip the cold dough onto a heavily floured surface and dust the top with flour. Coax into a rectangle with a bench scraper. Cut in half widthwise.
- With floured hands, transfer each piece onto its own sheet of baking paper, stretching gently as you lay it down.
- Cover with a floured tea towel and rest at room temperature for around 1 hour (1½ if your kitchen is cool) until slightly puffy.
- Preheat the oven and a heavy baking sheet to 230°C / 450°F for at least 30 minutes. Place a tray with a couple of centimetres of water on the bottom rack for steam.
- Slide a board under the baking paper and transfer it onto the hot baking sheet. Bake for around 25 until deeply golden and the loaves sound hollow when tapped.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.
Notes
- Watch the dough, not the clock. Bulk fermentation times shift with kitchen temperature. Trust the visual signs (30 to 40% rise, bubbles, jiggle) over the times listed.
- Don't slice too soon. Sourdough finishes baking as it cools. Slicing into a warm loaf gives you a gummy crumb.
- Flour generously at shaping. This dough is wet, and a heavily floured bench and dusted top are essential.
- Stand mixer option: After the autolyse, knead in a stand mixer with a dough hook for around 15 minutes until smooth and strong, then bulk on the bench as usual.
- Storage: Best on the day. Keep leftovers in a paper bag for up to 2 days, or slice and freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Serving: 1servingCalories: 232kcalCarbohydrates: 43gProtein: 7gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 0.4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 488mgPotassium: 59mgFiber: 1gSugar: 0.2gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 11mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!