Open Crumb Sourdough Ciabatta

Here is a recipe for a perfect ciabatta bread! Ciabatta means "slipper" and is so named because it's flat, oval shape resembles a well-worn slipper. It is from Veneto in the north of Italy.
It's crunchy and brown on the outside and bubbly and fluffy on the inside. This ciabatta bread makes great sandwiches or can be eaten even as a daily bread served just with extra virgin olive oil.

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This is a bread with a very high content of liquid and therefore a very hard bread to make by hand if you are a beginner. It is a very wet and sticky dough so if you prefer feel free to use a kitchen aid but do not be tempted to add more flour or it will change the dynamic of this great recipe and you will lose that perfect open crumb texture! If you are a beginner we suggest you to try first our Easy Ciabatta recipe. 

Makes 2  large Ciabatte

Ingredients

• 140g sourdough starter (nice and bubbly) 
• 350g water 
• 400g strong white flour
• 25g extra virgin olive oil
• 10g salt
• Semolina for sprinkle 
• Olive oil

Method

1. To start pre-measured all of the ingredients.
2. In a bowl or kitchen aid bowl mix the water and sourdough starter. Now add the flour and with a dough scraper or wooden spoon mix well and vigorously for about 5 minutes until there are no more bits of dry flour and it forms a very shaggy dough. Now add  the salt and mix well for another 2 minutes so that the salt is fully incorporated into the dough. 
3. If kneading by hand, transfer the dough onto a lightly floured work surface making sure there is no dough or flour left inside the bowl. Add a spoon of olive oil into your hands and spread it all around like if you were washing your hands. This method will help so that the dough will not stick as much in your hands when kneading. With your oily hands pick up the dough and start to slap and fold the dough on the table. Do this for about a 6 minutes. (If you don't know how to slap and fold the dough, there are plenty of videos on YouTube for you to watch, it is easier to watch this process than try to explain using words!). Add a small drizzle of olive oil to the bowl and spread it all around. Place the dough back inside the bowl and cover. Let it rest for 30 minutes. 
4. If using a kitchen aid, working with a dough hook, mix the dough on medium high speed for 8/10 mins. until smooth and shiny (the dough will be very sticky). Now remove the bowl from the kitchen aid and cover the bowl with a dump tea towel or a clean shower cup. Let it rest for 30 minutes. 
5. After 30 minutes from the first rest start the coil fold technique. To make a coil fold in your dough rinse your hands in water and gently lift the dough with both hands from the middle until one end releases from the bowl. Gently lower the dough to allow the loosened end to tuck under the middle, and repeat with the other side. The dough should now look like it is coiled over itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees, and repeat this process until the dough does not stretch very far anymore, and holds its shape. Repeat this coil fold 3 more times, resting the dough 30 minutes each time. The dough will strenghten more and more after each coil fold! Between the folds make sure to cover the bowl with the lid or cling film.  This technique is used in high hydration dough and it gives a better structure to the final dough. 
6. After the final fold, leave the dough to prove in the same bowl for 6 - 8 hours at room temperature. For a slow rise, place the dough in the fridge overnight or for around 16 hours - this will improve the flavour and aroma of your bread.
7. Once the dough is perfectly proved and fermented, turn the oven on to  230°C fan and place a small tray at the bottom of the oven. Line a large baking tray with baking paper and sprinkle some semolina all over. 
8. On an open table heavily flour the top of the dough and your work surface. Gently or you might deflate the dough turn the bowl upside down to release the dough onto the floured work surface. Now sprinkle the top of the dough with some more flour all over.
9. Flour the scraper and divide the dough into 2 equal parts or into 4 smaller one. Always with the help of the scraper try to gently separate one ciabatta from the other. Do not worry if they don't have a perfect shape, try not to handle the dough too much as you want to keep as much air in as possible for the perfect light texture. 
10. Heavily flour your hands and transfer them into the tray by sliding your fingers under each end of the ciabatta and quickly transfer it, keeping some space between the two ciabatte. Let them rest for 15 minutes.
11. Once the oven reach the temperature put your ciabatte in the middle of  the oven and straight after add half glass of cold water into the small tray at the bottom and quickly close the oven. This will produce steam which helps the bread to rise.
12. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Do not be afraid of the colour when baking bread, the ciabatta needs a proper crust or the structure of the crumble will collapse. Once the ciabatta is out of the oven, let it cool down on a cooling rack for at least 2 hours or even better overnight. Make a sandwich or simply drizzle some good extra virgin olive oil on top and enjoy!

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