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Sourdough Ciabatta

Possibly for the adventurous sourdough baker.

This is a recipe at around 80% hydration adapted from various other recipes...

You will need a small amount of sourdough starter, preferably not a heavy rye one. I have used a light rye starter, but it works best if you make a white flour starter. I keep a light rye starter in the fridge and a couple of nights before I bake I take some out and feed it over two evenings with white flour at 80% hydration.

  • 300 gm ciabatta flour
  • 220 gm water
  • 20gm white starter

roughly mix and leave overnight

in the morning add

  • 300 gm ciabatta flour
  • 240 gm water
  • 20 gm olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoons salt

Mix in bowl for 5 minutes

Leave for 2 hours

Mix for a couple of minutes until smooth and supple

leave for 2 hours

Dredge surface with ciabatta flour, split dough into 3 or 4, shape each loaf by folding into thirds twice. Its very soft and wet, but this is fine.

Place in 4 oiled flat containers, I use plastic food storage boxes

Repeat twice at 1 hour intervals placing back into re-oiled boxes

Heat oven to 250C

Prepare floured oven tray. Tip out loaves onto tray and stretch to form loaves, flour the tops of the loaves.

Spray oven and top of loaves, slide tray into oven. After 5 minutes spray oven again and bake for a further 15 - 20 minutes until golden brown.

For variety you can add sun dried tomatoes chopped up small, or olives, garlic rosemary...