Ciabatta Recipe - by Rose Levy Beranbaum (The bread Bible)

I promised Cynthia from Tastes Like Home the Ciabatta recipe from The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum like a couple of months ago, so here it is. Sorry for the very very delayed post.

Dough Starter (Biga)

1/2 C + 1/2 tbs all purpose flour

1/16 ts instant yeast

1/4 C water, room temp

Combine all ingredients for biga and stir with wooden spoon for 3-5 minutes or till very smooth and comes away from the sides of the bowl. Will be slightly sticky to the touch. Cover the bowl with oiled plastic wrap and set aside until tripled and fille d with bubbles (6 hours at room temp or refridgerate for up to 3 days before baking {remove to room temp 1 hours prior to mixing dough}).

Dough

1 C all purpose flour

1/4 ts instant yeast

1/2 ts salt

1/2 C water

scant 1/2 C biga

In mixer bowl, whisk together flour and yeast. Then whisk in salt. Add water and biga. Using paddle attachment, mix on low speed for a few seconds, just till flour is moistened. Raise speed to medium-high and beat 3 minutes. Dough will be moist and soft, almost soupy. Gradually it will start to develop strands of gluten. Lower the speed to medium and continue to beat for 2 minutes. If dough hasn't pulled away from the bowl after 1st 3 minutes, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on medium-high for another 2 minutes. If it still doesn't pull away, beat in a little flour 1 ts at a time on low speed. The dough should cling to your fingers if touched.

Use oiled spatula, scrap dough in to a 1 quart container, lightly greased with cooking spray/oil. Push down dough and lightly spray the top. cover with plastic wrap and mark the side of the container weher triple the height of the dough would be. Allow dough to rise (1 1/4 - 2 hours)/

Sift flour onto a counter in a rectangle at least 10 in x 8 in. With oiled spatula, gently scrap dough onto the flour and sift more flour on top. Handle dough gently to avoid loosing the air bubbles. Using plams against the sides of the dough, push it together slightly. Using your fingertips, make large deep dimples in the dough about 1 in apart, elongating it. Push the sides together a second time. Carefully lift up the dough and invert it onto a floured baking sheet. It will be 10-11 in in lenth. Push in the sides so that the dough is about 4 1/2 in wide. It will be between 1/2 in - 1 in high. Sift flour over the top and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rise until 1 - 1/2 in high, 1 1/2 - 2 hours.

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F 1 hour before baking. Have an oven shelf on the lowest level and place a baking stone/baking sheet on it and a cast iron skillet or sheet pan on the floor of the oven before preheating.

Remove the plastic wrap and quickly but gently set the baking sheet on the hot baking stone/baking sheet. Toss 1/2 C ice cube into the pan beneath and immediately shut the door. Bake for 5 minutes. Lower temp to 450 degrees F and continue baking for 20 minutes or until the bread is deep golden brown. Halfway through baking, turn the pan around for even baking. Turn the oven off, prop the door open and allow the bread to sit for 5 minutes.

Remove the bread from the oven and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. Brush off the flour from the surface.