Ciabatta rolls
Total time, from start to finish: 2,5 - 3 hours. The dough has to rise 4 times for 30 minutes, so it takes a total of two hours to rise and bakes for 20 minutes.
Servings: makes 6 small ciabatta
Ingredients
Lukewarm water, 250 ml
Sugar, 1 tbsp
Dry yeast, 2 tsp
Flour, 300 g
Salt, 1 tsp
If the ingredients list looks familiar, it’s because it’s almost the same as the basil focaccia pizza dough; it just involves a few more folds, and has, therefore, more structure and chewiness. :)
Method
Mix the lukewarm water, sugar and yeast until everything is dissolved. I like to let this mixture sit and bloom for 10-15 minutes. If the yeast is alive, the top should foam and if you come close to it, it should have a faint sizzling sound. I do this to test if the yeast is alive, just to avoid waisting flour, and later realizing the dough isn’t rising because the yeast is dead.
Add the flour and salt and mix with a wooden spoon until there are no lumps of flour. Cover with a towel and let rise for 30 minutes in a warm cozy spot.
After 30 minutes, fold all 4 sides of the dough over itself with either a large wooden spoon or with wet hands. Cover and let rise for 30 minutes.
Repeat the previous step and let the dough rise covered for an additional 30 minutes.
Flour your work surface and the top of the dough well. Flatten the dough slightly and form a square. Make a log with the dough by folding a third of the dough over it self and then the other third.
Pull the log gently using both hands to stretch it a bit.
Divide into 6 small pieces and transfer to a large parchment lined baking tray. Use lots of flour while dividing and transferring as it’s a very wet dough. They might lose their shape after you’ve transferred them to the baking tray, and if they do, you can just shape them again with your hands by tucking in the sides gently.
Let the dough rise covered for 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F). Add a rack to the bottom of the oven and add a small oven safe dish with water on top of the rack. This is to create steam which result in soft but crispy bread.
Bake the bread in the middle part of the oven the first 10 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Now, switch the positions of the rack with the water dish and the baking tray with the bread (add the baking tray to the floor of the oven, so the bottom of the bread browns).
Bake the bread until the bottom is golden brown which should take an additional 10 minutes.
