Super Fluffy & Easy Sourdough Ciabatta
This sourdough ciabatta holds so much depth. Both in depth of flavor and depth of crumb. It's buoyant and delicious as a sandwich bread.
Equipment
- 1 half sheet pan
Ingredients
- 265g water
- 275g bread flour
- 30g whole wheat flour
- 50g mature sourdough starter
- 5g sea salt
Instructions
- At 11am, feed your sourdough starter (100% hydration, and place in a warm environment to rise).
- At 1pm, in the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the water, bread flour, and whole wheat flour. Mix for 4 minutes on low speed until thoroughly combined. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for two hours.
- At 3pm, add 50g of your sourdough starter to the dough. Mix for 7 minutes on low speed. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for one hour.
- At 4pm, add the 5g of sea salt and mix for 1 minute on medium speed. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rest for one hour.
- At 5pm, perform the lamination technique (if confusing, please see the video linked above): Spritz a clean surface with water. Place the dough in the center of the surface and scoop your fingers under the dough to gently spread it out from the center into a large rectangle (approximately 20 inches by 14 inches). Avoid breaking the dough and try to just tug it gently. You're trying to get it so thin it'll be almost transparent. You can make the rectangle as large as you feel is possible without it breaking.
- Then you'll book fold the dough both ways: first, fold the right side in by a third. Fold the left side over the right. Fold the bottom third up. Fold the top third down. Then fold the right half over the left like a finished book.
- Place the folded dough in a clean, flat container (I use a large rectangular plastic storage container). Cover and let rest.
- At 6pm, perform coil fold #1.
- At 7pm, perform coil fold #2.
- At 8pm, perform coil fold #3. Let that rest for 2 hours, then at 10pm, cover the dough with a lid or plastic wrap and set it in the fridge until 10am the day after tomorrow (36 hours).
- On a floured surface, very gently dump the dough out. Stretch and fold the right third of the dough in, then the left third over it. Flip the dough over and pinch the seams together and down until seamless. Flour the top of the dough and let it rest on the surface for 10 minutes.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. With a bench knife, transfer the dough to the lined sheet pan. Use your fingers to gently elongate the front and back of the dough, but don't fuss with it too much. Imperfection is beautiful. Cover the dough with a clean kitchen towel and let it rest for 5 hours. 4 hours into the proof, preheat the oven to 450F.
- Uncover and bake the ciabatta on the sheet pan for 10 minutes, then lower the temperature to 425F. Bake for 10 more minutes. Let the ciabatta cool for an hour.
Notes
Make sure your sourdough starter is at peak when you use it. To get it to peak in two hours, you must put it in a warm place (75-80F). I usually turn my oven on for a few minutes then turn it off and place it in there.