Ciabatta Italian Slipper Bread Recipes

Steps:

• Make sponge:
• In a small bowl stir together yeast and warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl stir together yeast mixture, room-temperature water, and flour and stir 4 minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make bread:
• In a small bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with dough hook blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until flour is just moistened and beat dough at medium speed 3 minutes. Add salt and beat 4 minutes more. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles.)
• Have ready a rimless baking sheet and 2 well-floured 12- by 6-inch sheets parchment paper. Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone or 4 to 6 unglazed "quarry" tiles (see note, above) arranged close together on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425° F.
• Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to baking sheet with a long side of loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone or tiles in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. With a large spatula transfer loaves to a rack to cool.

Steps:

• You will need a baking stone or 2 jelly roll pans that fit side by side in the oven, plus a cookie sheet with no sides or a piece of stiff cardboard to slide the loaves into the oven.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the flour and salt.
• In another bowl, whisk the yeast into the water; then stir the yeast mixture into the flour.
• Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix the dough for 1 minute on lowest speed.
• Stop the mixer and let the dough rest for 10 minutes.
• Beat the dough again on medium speed, until smooth and elastic, about 2 to 3 minutes.
• Oil a 3-quart bowl and scrape the dough into it; turn the dough over so that the top is also oiled.
• Press plastic wrap against the surface of the dough and let the dough rise at room temperature until it is doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
• About 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the dough, place the baking stone on the middle rack of the oven and preheat to 500°; if you are using pans instead of the stone, invert the two pans side by side on the middle rack of the oven and preheat at the same temperature.
• To form the loaves, scrape the dough onto a floured work surface, deflating it as little as possible; gently pat the dough into an 8-inch square; cut in half to make 2 rectangles.
• Sprinkle the cookie sheet or cardboard with cornmeal and arrange one of the pieces of dough at the far end, stretching the dough very slightly as you place it on the pan.
• Open the oven and slide the loaf onto the stone or one of the inverted jelly roll pans, quickly jerking away the cookie sheet or cardboard.
• Repeat with the remaining piece of dough.
• Bake until they are very dark golden and reach an internal temperature of about 200 degrees, about 25 minutes.
• Cool the breads directly on a rack.
• To serve: cut the loaf into thick vertical slices to serve it with a meal; to use the loaves for sandwiches, split them horizontally.

Steps:

• Make sponge: Stir together, warm water and yeast.
• Let stand 5 minutes, until creamy.
• Transfer yeast mixture to another bowl and add room-temp water and flour.
• Stir for 4 minutes.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap.
• Let stand at cool room temp at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• Make bread: Stir together yeast and milk in small bowl and let stand 5 minutes, until creamy.
• In bowl of standing electric mixer, with dough hook, blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil and flour at low speed until flour is moistened.
• Beat on medium for 3 minutes.
• Add salt and beat for 4 more minutes.
• Scrape dough into oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap, until doubled- about 1 1/2 hours.
• Note: Dough will be VERY sticky and full of bubbles.
• Cut two pieces of parchment paper, approx 12 inches by 6 inches.
• Place on baking sheet and flour well.
• Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and cut in half.
• Transfer each half to paper and form irregular ovals approx 9 inches long.
• Dip fingers in flour and dimple loaves.
• Dust tops with flour.
• Cover with dampened kitchen towel and let rise 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until almost doubled.
• At least 45 minutes before baking bread, pre-heat pizza stone on lowest oven rack position at 425°F.
• Transfer 1 loaf, along with parchment paper, onto stone and bake for 20 minutes or until pale golden.
• Remove to cooling racks and repeat with second loaf.