Ciabatta
A no-knead ciabatta built on hydration alone, just a few folds and a lot of patient resting for that classic open, holey crumb.
Ingredients
Method
Mix all the ingredients together into a very runny dough. This high hydration is what gives ciabatta its open crumb.
Let the dough rest for at least 2 hours.
Turn it out onto a well-floured surface and carefully fold it into a letter, folding every side towards the middle until it comes together. Adding just enough flour to stop it sticking. Do this twice.
Let rest for 30 minutes.
Fold into a letter once more.
Let rest for 15 minutes.
Do a coil fold, lifting the dough up letting it slide down, turning it 180 degrees and doing the same thing again.
Let rest for 15 minutes.
Transfer the dough to a lined baking tray and gently stretch it out to about 30cm long.
Let rest for a final 30 minutes.
Heat the oven to 220°C.
Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden.
Let cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Don't be tempted to add more flour than you need just to make the dough easier to handle the stickiness is exactly what gives ciabatta its big, uneven holes. Having moist hands with some water helps to avoid the dough stick to your hands too much.