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Here’s how to finish off those tasty ciabatta loaves

Note: The first part of this recipe ran on page 17 of the April 6 edition of The Citizen. This is the fourth part of CNC chef Ron Christian's Food for Thought column on poolish and ciabatta bread that appeared earlier in the Prince George Citizen.

Note: The first part of this recipe ran on page 17 of the April 6 edition of The Citizen.

This is the fourth part of CNC chef Ron Christian's Food for Thought column on poolish and ciabatta bread that appeared earlier in the Prince George Citizen.

Let the dough rest for another 30 minutes, and then give it another stretch and fold. Repeat the stretch-and-fold process until you have completed a total of three or four stretch and folds with the dough. You will notice that as the gluten structure builds up with each progressive stretch and fold, the dough becomes stronger and easier to handle. Finish with another 30-minute rest period.

Preheat oven with a stone and steaming tray to 480 F (250 C) at least one hour before baking.

Dividing

Generously flour the work surface and invert the container so the dough releases and falls onto it. Gently coax the dough into a rectangular form, taking care not to expel too many of the gaseous bubbles that will create the airy pockets in the final product.

Ciabatta dough naturally wants to assume a relaxed log shape, but length can vary depending on the size of your oven and the desired size of the finished loaves.

Using a dough divider, split the dough into even pieces - four units will yield four medium-sized loaves, whereas 16 units will make smaller individual sandwich rolls.

Preparing/shaping

After dividing the dough into units, gently place them on a heavy floured couche. A couche is a canvas cloth made from 100 per cent flax fibres. Some bakers may want to divide the dough by weight and not visually. Any small dough pieces added during dividing to achieve the desired weight should not be on top of the dough pieces.

To help the ciabatta keep its shape, it is good to form pleated ridges with the couche between the loaves.

Final proof/panning

Cover the loaves with a flour-dusted couche and let proof (rise/rest) for 30 to 45 minutes. If the dough seems a bit slack and does not want to retain its shape, the proofing time can be closer to 30 minutes.

Baking

Prepare a water-soaked face cloth for the steaming tray and set near the oven.

If using a peel (shovel-like tool usually made out of wood) to transfer the loaves into the oven, generously sprinkle the peel with cornmeal to prevent the loaves from sticking. Transfer each loaf onto the peel by lifting the pleat of the couche and rolling the loaf onto the peel, or place the loaf on the back of a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

In either case, the side of the loaf that was proofing down should now be the top of the loaf when baking in the oven.

After loading the loaves in the oven, place the water-soaked face cloth in the steaming tray.

Be sure that you have your hands and arms protected and remove them quickly from the oven to avoid any unpleasant encounters with the steam. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes at 480 F (250 C). The loaves should have a blistery golden crust.

If you notice the loaf getting too dark after 25 minutes, cover with tinfoil and reduce the temperature of the oven by 30 to 40 F. Two minutes before the end of the baking cycle, prop the oven door open with a wooden spoon to allow any excess steam to escape.

Cooling/storage

Remove the ciabatta loaves from the oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Breads made purely with bread flour (white flour), such as ciabatta, do not have a long shelf life as those made with grain flour. Therefore, it is best to enjoy the ciabatta within a few days of baking. Otherwise, wrap tightly in plastic and freeze for up to four weeks.

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This week's column is written by chef Ron Christian, who has been a chef for 30 years. He is a CNC professional cook instructor, who has also taught at BCIT, Vancouver Community College and has worked all over the world. If you have any questions or comments, e-mail christianr@cnc.bc.ca.