First Bread in the Quest for Bread Project. This is one that I’ve been meaning to tackle for a while. For some reason, I just didn’t want to attempt the bread. But now that I have I will continue to make it as it is one of the prettiest breads I have every made. As always with the quest, the recipe is from the Bread Bible. That’s were you can get all the details on the recipe.
The bread itself is pretty simple. All Purpose flour, salt, yeast and water. The starter was a biga. A fairly compact starter that is great for breads like this that need a better gluten structure. The bread itself had less than 1.5 cups of flour in it. It’s the light airy texture that makes Ciabatta brilliant. This is also a bread that when you are shaping it, be sure to use ample flour as it stops this very sticky dough from catching and so adds that characteristic look.
Getting Ready to Mix the Biga
The Mixed Biga. It would triple in size over the next few hours
Mixing the dough, pre-gluten forming.
Well defined gluten
Mixed dough measuring less than 1/4 quart
I only needed a triple volume rise in this bread. . The four times size increase was nice but maybe it cut down onto later risings.
Well floured cutting board, getting ready for the sticky dough.
This is the bottom of the bread. It gets dimples to create the wrinkled top crush.
On the Silmat ready to be placed into the oven
Propping the door open with a bottom of a wooden spoon. This helps crisp the top of the bread.
The finished product. Great tasting too. Firm Crust on top and bottom.
We cut the bread after it had fully cooled and used it as buns for lamb-burgers that evening. Only the end remains. Good Eats.
Timelime
10:30pm: Mix Biga
05:00am: Put into Fridge (The Infant slept though the night but we didn’t)
06:30am: Take Biga out of Fridge
07:30am: Mix the dough and let it triple in size. We had time to go out to the FinnishBistro and for the Infant to take his nap.
10:00am: Dough made it close to 4.5 times its size. Shape dough and let rise.
12:40pm: Dough only rose slightly after trip to Borders (Picked up Tender & The Vegetable from an Italian Garden, two moleskins, & some kids books) & Seward Co-op (CSA Box + Other goodies)
01:25pm: Bread into the Oven
01:30pm: Turn the Temp on Oven
01:40pm: Turn the Bread
01:45pm: Lifted onto the Stone
01:50pm: Oven Off, Propped door open
01:55pm: Out of the oven and cooling time