(Not Quite) Ciabatta

While we're on the topic of simple things you can do with fridge dough, here's a quick and easy approximation of the famous Italian ciabatta. Strictly speaking, this is not really a ciabatta -- "real" ciabatta is made with a biga or pre-ferment, and the process, while simple, takes almost a whole day. A long time ago (at least it seems like it was a long time ago), I shared a house with a few friends who were fans of my baking. I baked a ciabatta almost every day for about two years then, so I learned quite a bit about this bread. At some point, I might revive my slumbering skills and document the process in a post here on EP.

In the meantime, while this bread lacks the depth of flavor of the real thing, it is still delicious (especially fresh), it's completely easy to make, and can be made on short notice (provided you have dough waiting in the fridge) in about an hour plus cooling time. It is a perfectly adequate bread, say, for dipping in that expensive extra virgin olive oil you couldn't resist buying at the Farmer's Market (not that I would ever do such a thing).

To start out, preheat the oven to 475 F, and cut off about 2 lbs. from your fridge dough. Lay it on a baking sheet (these days I prefer to use my pizza screens for baking bread), lined with parchment paper. Lightly flour the top, then flatten it with your hands, poking the dough here and there with your fingers. You are looking to create the familiar "slipper" shape (ciabatta means slipper in Italian), about 1.5 inches thick. Above all, be gentle with the dough. Only handle it as much as absolutely needed to do the shaping. You want to preserve as many of the bubbles as possible in the dough.



Let stand for 10 minutes, then bake for about 45 - 50 minutes on the bottom rack, during which it will rise nicely. Here's the simple secret for baking great ciabatta: bake at a high heat for a long time. Don't worry about burning it. In general, you have to bake the crap out of ciabatta, to achieve the two main characteristics of it: a thick, crunchy crust and the elastic, holey inside. A nicely done ciabatta's bottom should have a few almost black spots from all the heat. But, as always, use your best judgement. You don't want to end up with a charred brick, either.



Note the nice network of large holes, which is the trademark of a well done ciabatta. This loaf approximates the real thing very well.



Let cool on a rack for at least half an hour, if not a full hour. Then slice, and enjoy with aforementioned olive oil, hummus, or really anything you like. Apart from oil dipping, I find that this bread works especially well alongside stew-style dishes, as in the picture below. Here I cooked lecsó, a stew of tomatoes, bell peppers, onion, Tofurky sausage and paprika. I loved this dish during my childhood in Hungary and it was easy to veganize and prepare.