Ciabatta

Ingredients

Biga (made the night before)

• 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (5 oz)
• ⅛ tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
• ½ cup water (4 oz), room temperature

Dough

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (10 oz)
• ½ tsp instant or rapid-rise yeast
• 1½ tsp table salt
• ¾ cup water (6 oz), room temperature
• ¼ cup milk (2 oz), room temperature

Directions

1. Biga: Stir the flour, yeast, and water in a medium bowl until a uniform mass forms, about 1 minute. Cover tightly with plastic and let stand at room temperature overnight (8–24 hours).
2. Dough: Add the biga and all dough ingredients to a stand mixer with the paddle. Mix on lowest speed until a shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute, then on medium-low until the dough collects on the paddle and pulls from the sides, 4–6 minutes. Switch to the dough hook and knead on medium until smooth and shiny (still very sticky), about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, cover, and rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
3. With a greased spatula or bowl scraper, fold the dough over itself, turning the bowl 90 degrees between folds, eight times total. Cover and rise 30 minutes. Repeat the folding, cover, and rise until doubled, about 30 minutes more. Meanwhile, set a baking stone on the lower-middle rack and heat the oven to 450°F at least 30 minutes.
4. Cut two 12x6-inch pieces of parchment and flour them liberally. Turn the dough onto a well-floured counter without deflating it, flour the top, and divide in half. Press each piece into a rough 12x6-inch shape, then fold the short sides toward the center like a business letter into a 7x4-inch loaf. Transfer seam-side down to the parchment, dust with flour, cover with plastic, and rest 30 minutes — small bubbles will form.
5. Slide the parchment onto an inverted baking sheet or peel. With floured fingertips, poke the entire surface of each loaf to form 10x6-inch rectangles, and spray lightly with water. Slide onto the stone and bake — spraying with water twice more in the first 5 minutes — until deep golden brown and 210°F in the center, 22–27 minutes.
6. Cool on a wire rack about 1 hour before slicing. Makes 2 loaves; keeps 2 days wrapped at room temperature. Recrisp at 450°F for 6–8 minutes.