Ciabatta

This ciabatta was enjoyed at eleven o'clock at night. As I ate piece after piece of it and spread it with butter still cold from the fridge, I thought about how the day prior, I had taken a minute to mix together some things in an old yogurt container and then promptly forgot about it, only to realize the next day with a start that I had biga rising. I then realized how I had mixed this forgotten biga with some other easy ingredients and then kneaded it for a therapeutic five minutes only to let it rise while I watched old movies and then sleepily stretched it out onto a sheet and baked it with some ice cubes. In that moment I realized that all that had created this crunchy toasted and remarkably bready smell too easily. Could ciabtta baking really be this simple? My answer crunched beneath my teeth. Yes. 

Ciabatta 
from Food 52
*bread four has a significantly higher amount of protein in it that plain all purpose. This helps the bread to rise strongly.

Just a warning for those who dont read through the whole recipe and might get too excited too soon, Time from conception to Ciabattta: 1 overnight + 2 hours rising time +mixing, kneading etc.

Biga
2 cups bread flour*
1/2 teaspoon instant yeast
1 cup water at room temperature

Dough
3 cups bread flour
1 Tablespoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt (If you a use a bigger flakes salt like Maldon, you should add a 1/2 teaspoon more)
1 1/2 cups warm water
Biga
oil
ice cubes

The night (or day in my case) before you want to bake the bread, make biga. Mix ingredients in a small bowl, or like me, in a recycled yogurt container. Leave in a cool draft free area overnight.

The next day, mix flour, yeast, salt in a large bowl. Add biga and water and mix until a sticky dough forms. Mix with a wooden spoon until a ball forms. Knead with damp hands or continue to mix with a wooden spoon until a smooth gluteny dough is formed. 4-5 minutes. Transfer dough to lightly oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Leave to rise for an hour.

After the hour has passed, sift flour onto a flat workspace and stretch dough into a large rectangle-like shape. Split the rectangle into two smaller rectangles (The exact shape doesn't really matter).

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle parchment paper with flour. Stretch each loaf gently and lay onto the baking sheet. Let rise for another oven.

About 45 minutes into the final rise, preheat the oven to 475 degrees with a rack in the lower third of the oven and a rack underneath that one with either a roasting pan or another baking sheet on it. Measure out 3 cups of ice cubes into a bowl. When final rise is completed, put loaves into the oven and throw ice cubes onto the baking sheet below, creating steam. Close oven as quickly as possible.

Bake for 25-35 minutes until loaves are deeply golden brown.
Enjoy with good butter.