Airy Homemade Ciabatta Rolls and Loaves

Ingredients

Tick the ingredients as you go

Biga (starter)

• 1 cup (130g) bread flour, spooned and leveled
• 1/8 teaspoon active dry or instant yeast
• 1/2 cup (120g/ml) room-temperature water (about 70°F / 21°C)

Ciabatta dough

• 1 teaspoon (3g) active dry or instant yeast
• 1 cup (240g/ml) warm water (about 100-110°F / 38-43°C)
• 2 1/2 cups (325g) bread flour, spooned and leveled, plus more as needed
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (8g) table salt
• Olive oil, as needed for hands and spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Day 1: whisk the biga flour and yeast together, add the room-temperature water, and stir with a silicone spatula. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 8-24 hours.

2. 2

   Day 2: in a separate bowl (or a stand mixer with the dough hook; a handheld mixer will not work), whisk the yeast into the warm water. Cover and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to dissolve.

3. 3

   Add the biga, flour and salt and mix until there are no dry pockets. The dough will be very wet and sticky; oiled hands help if you need to knead it gently in the bowl.

4. 4

   Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.

5. 5

   Stretch and fold: grab the dough at the 12 o'clock position, stretch it upward, and fold it over toward 6 o'clock. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat, working around the bowl twice (8 folds in all). Cover and rest for 30 minutes.

   
6. 6

   Do three more rounds of stretch-and-folds, resting 30 minutes between each. After the last round, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.

7. 7

   Dust the counter generously with flour. Turn the dough out, flour the top, and pat it into a rough 10x7-inch rectangle. Cut it into 8 pieces about 2.5x3.5 inches for rolls, or in half for two 5x7-inch (or 10x3.5-inch) loaves.

   
9. 8

   Move the pieces to floured parchment, at least 2 inches apart, nudging them back into shape as needed.

10. 9

    Dust the tops with flour, cover with a towel or parchment, and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.

11. 10

    Meanwhile, set racks in the center and bottom positions, place a flat or rimmed baking sheet on the center rack, and heat the oven to 450°F (232°C) for about 1 hour.

12. 11

    Scatter several cups of ice cubes in a large shallow metal pan, cast iron skillet or rimmed sheet (not glass) on the bottom rack. If you like, mist or flick the dough with water.

13. 12

    Working quickly, slide the parchment with the bread onto the hot baking sheet and shut the door to trap the steam.

14. 13

    Bake for 20-22 minutes (up to 25 for a darker crust), until golden. The inside should read 205-210°F (96-99°C).

15. 14

    Let cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing, or the crumb will be gummy.