27
Ciabatta
A popular Italian-style rustic bread, this is great
to serve with a saucy pasta dish, or just sliced,
served with olive oil and a charcuterie platter.
Makes 1 loaf (16 servings)
Starter:
¾ cup cool water
1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached
bread or all-purpose flour
¹⁄8teaspoon active dry yeast
Dough:
1¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached
bread or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1½ teaspoons sea salt
½ cup lukewarm water
¼ cup olive oil
1. Prepare the starter. Put the water, flour, and
yeast together in a large mixing bowl. Cover
with a damp cloth, or plastic wrap, and let
rest at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours.
2. Once the starter is ready, prepare the
dough. Put the flour, yeast, and salt in a
medium bowl. Using the beaters, mix on
Speeds 1 to 2 to fully combine, about 20 to
30 seconds. Add the warm water and oil to
the starter. Using the dough hooks, mix on
Speed 1 to combine.
3. Add the flour mixture to the starter-water
mixture. Still using the dough hooks, mix on
Speeds 1 to 2 until the mixture comes
together. It will be a very sticky dough and
will take a couple of minutes to combine
(stop the mixer to scrape down the sides of
the bowl and dough hooks if necessary).
Cover the dough with either a damp cloth or
plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 1 hour.
4. Gently turn over the dough, to gently
deflate, and cover again and allow to rise for
an additional hour.
5. Once dough is ready, transfer to a heavily
floured work surface, and add additional flour
on top of the dough. Shape into a rectangle,
about 20 x 25cm. Place the loaf on a
baking-lined baking pan and loosely cover
with a damp cloth or plastic wrap and allow to
rise for about 1 hour, or until nice and puffy.
6. Preheat oven to 230°C with the rack in the
middle position.
7. Brush the dough with water and then bake
until the bread is golden brown and sounds
hollow when tapped, about 25 to 30 minutes.
8. Remove and cool slightly prior to slicing and
serving.
Honey Whole-Wheat Bread
A hearty wheat bread, flavored with honey.
Makes 1 loaf (10 servings)
1 cup warm water (40°C to 42°C)
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1½ cups whole-wheat flour
¾ cup bread flour
¾ teaspoon salt
1½ tablespoons unsalted butter, cut
into 1 cm pieces, room temperature
Nonstick cooking spray or unsalted
butter, softened, for greasing the
loaf pan
1. Put the warm water, honey, and yeast into a
large mixing bowl. Stir to dissolve the yeast
and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. Mixture
will foam and bubble – this means the yeast
is active and alive.
2.
Put the flours and salt in a separate mixing
bowl. Using the beaters, mix on Speed 1 for
20 to 30 seconds; reserve. Using the dough
hooks, mix the yeast mixture on Speeds 1 to
2 while adding the flour/salt, ½ cup at a time.
Mix in each addition of flour, before adding
the next, so that no flour is visible in between.
The dough at first will be a batter, and slowly,
as the flour is added, the batter will form a
rough dough ball. (If a good amount of
dough is clinging to the walls of the bowl,
add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of bread
flour; avoid adding more).
