Sourdough Ciabatta is a rustic Italian loaf that was first made in 1982—yes, that recently—by Arnaldo Cavallari, a baker from outside Venice who was troubled by the popularity of sandwiches made out of imported French baguettes. To save his own bakery, he came up with this soft, high-gluten loaf, full of holes that are perfect for nesting sandwich ingredients. This recipe uses our sourdough starter recipe.
Sourdough Ciabatta
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (385 grams) sourdough starter
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 1 ½ cups (223 grams) all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon nonfat dry milk powder
- ¼ cup (53 grams) water
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the dough hook attachment. Beat at medium speed for 6-9 minutes, until a smooth and elastic dough forms.
- Spray a medium bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl, turning to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (75°) for 1 ½ to 2 hours, or until doubled in size.
- Turn out the dough onto a greased sheet pan and gently stretch into a log, folding under the ends to create a large, wide loaf. Re-cover and allow the dough to rest in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour.
- Gently dock the dough with your fingers, creating deep indentations all over the top.
- Re-cover and allow the dough to proof for an additional hour.
- Preheat the oven to 425. Sprinkle the loaf with semolina flour, fill a spray-bottle with water, and spritz the top. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
