Ciabatta

Ahh, ciabatta – the parvenu cousin of the French baguette.

My first encounter with ciabatta, back when I was still a novice baker, was something of a revelation. Not just the wild, open texture, but also the distinctive mouthfeel of a crumb made with a highly hydrated dough was quite new to me. It really brought home to me how versatile a simple combination of flour and water can be; I suppose it was a turning point in my baking. It took me quite a few attempts to recreate the effect in my own kitchen, but it was worth the effort.

Only a little later did I learn that ciabatta was invented in the early 1980s by the Italian miller Arnaldo Cavallari. Although earlier Italian breads were also known by the name, Cavallari registered the names ciabatta Polesana (after the region in which he was based) and ciabatta Italia for the formulae he perfected.

Like many keen bakers I’m rarely content to rely on a tried-and-tested recipe and I’m always tweaking my formulae. I made this loaf at the weekend using a starter and a combination of strong white and Italian ‘00’ flours, hydrated to 77%. Sadly, the sorry state of the British summer obliged us to consume it with some warming soup rather than antipasti. They say better weather is on the way…