Homemade ciabatta

Ingredients:

Dough

• 1/4 tsp. instant dry yeast
• 1 cup of water (36°C)
• 1 and 1/4 cups premium flour

Bread

• 1 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 3 tbsp. 1% skim milk at room temperature
• 2/3 cup water (36°C)
• 1 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 2 and 1/3 cups premium flour
• 1.5 tsp sea salt
• Cornmeal for dusting the baking pan

Preparation:

1. Dough.
   
   To make the starter, dissolve the yeast in water. Mix in the flour with your hands until the mixture is smooth and lump-free. It will be very wet and sticky. Cover the starter and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. For ciabatta, you'll need 1 cup of starter.
2. Bread.
   
   In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the milk, yeast, water, olive oil, and starter (the dough can also be mixed in a bowl with a wooden spoon).
   
   Replace the paddle attachments with the dough hooks, add the flour and salt, and knead the dough on low speed for 2 minutes. Then increase the mixer speed slightly and knead for another 3 minutes. Knead the dough in the bowl with your hands until it becomes elastic and springy (the dough will be too sticky to knead on the counter).
3. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm, draft-free place for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Once the dough has risen, it will be filled with numerous large air bubbles.
   
   Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape it into a cylinder (like a loaf of bread). Then, stretch the pliable dough into a 30 x 20 cm rectangle. Cut it in half (so that each piece is 15 x 10 cm) and place it on two baking sheets lined with parchment paper and dusted with cornmeal. Cover the dough with damp kitchen towels and let it rise for another 1 hour and 30 minutes.
4. Preheat the oven to 200°C and place an upside-down baking sheet on it. Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven, place the dough directly on the parchment paper, and return it to the oven. Spray the loaves with a little water, quickly close the oven door, and bake for 20–25 minutes, sprinkling the bread with water again after 10 minutes. Cool the finished ciabatta and serve.