Of all the different bread types there are, ciabatta is by far my favourite. And yet I've never made any, until now, that is. By way of its ingredients, this is the simplest kind of bread, made simply with flour, yeast water and olive oil. The secret to getting it to look and feel like ciabatta has more to do with technique than anything else.
So, to start with, take three and a half cups of flour, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of sugar and one and a half teaspoons of dry yeast and mix in a bowl. Now add a cup and a half of room temperature water and mix. You will have a very stick dough. Resist the urge to add more flour. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into two equal pieces. Place each piece in a bowl, cover with a cloth and leave to double in size (about an hour).
Flatten the dough out with your hand and then fold the one edge toward the middle, then the other edge, then each of the two ends. Turn over and repeat. Place this folded dough into the bowl, cover and leave for an hour. Repeat this process three times. On the third occasion, instead of returning it to the bowl, place on an oiled baking tray and allow to rise again. Bake in a medium oven until brown. During the baking process, use a water spray and moisten the bread every five minutes. This will ensure a lovely crispy exterior.
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