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Richard Bertinet’s ciabatta recipe begins with the preparation of the ferment. Combine 350 grams of ciabatta flour (or half strong white flour with half Italian 00) and 180 grams of water with 2 grams of fresh yeast. Then ‘cover loosely with a large split freezer bag secured with an elastic band, and leave to rest in a warm draught-free place for 17-24 hours.’ Next, mix 10 grams of fresh yeast into 450 grams of ciabatta flour (or half white with half Italian 00).
Dough
Mix the ferment into the flour and yeast mixture, adding 360 grams of lukewarm water and 50 grams of olive oil. Sprinkle in 15 grams of salt and incorporate. Turn the sticky dough onto a work surface and knead it. Don’t flour your work surface. Keep on kneading until the dough becomes smooth and elastic. Your dough will be ready when it ‘comes away from the work surface easily’.
Oil a large bowl and place the dough inside it. Cover with a cloth and rest it in a draught-free warm spot for one and a half hours. When it’s doubled in size or ‘feels bubbly and light’ it’s time to shape it.
Shape and prove
Flour your work surface, turn out the dough in one piece and flour the top. Then ‘press the dough lightly and gently all over, dimpling it slightly with your fingers into a rectangular shape.’
Cut the dough into five strips of equal weight and fold each one into three by folding one side into the middle and pressing down before folding over again to the other side. Then ‘press down lightly to seal the edge. Roll lightly so that the seam of each piece is underneath.’
Place each creation onto a tray (seam-side up) – Bertinet recommends a well-floured couche or cloth-lined tray – and cover with a cloth, leaving the bread to prove for three-quarters of an hour to an hour.
Bake
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees Celsius. Bertinet advises that ‘unless you are going to bake in batches, you will need to use both shelves of the oven and put in 2 baking stones or baking trays, or one of each, to get good and hot.’ Also, dust your baking trays with fine semolina.
When the bread is ready, place each ciabatta on the baking tray so that the seams face downwards. Stretch each loaf out lengthways as you lay it down to give it what Bertinet calls its characteristic ‘slipper’ shape.
Spray some water into the oven very quickly and then slide the bread onto the hot baking stones or trays. Spray again just before you close the door and then turn the temperature down to 220 degrees Celsius. Bake for 20 minutes and then let the loaves cool on wire racks a little before you serve with butter and honey or cheese.
Note: The ciabatta breads can also be frozen but be sure to freeze and defrost correctly.
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