Ciabatta

I need to work on this recipe a bit more... The bread tasted really good, but it wasn't as light and full of holes as it should have been...

Ciabatta

For the starter:
1/2 tsp dried yeast (fast action)
150 ml water
3 tbsp tepid milk
1/4 tsp sugar
150 g strong white flour

For the dough:
1/2 tsp dried yeast (fast action)
250 ml water
1/2 tbsp olive oil
350 g strong white flour
1 1/2 tsp salt

To make the starter pour the water and milk in a bowl. Mix in the sugar. Add the flour together with the yeast and mix to form a loose batter.

Cover with a tea towel and leave overnight or for 12 hours.

Add the water and olive oil to the starter and mix well. Add the flour, yeast and salt and mix to form a wet sticky dough. Beat with a wooden spoon for five minutes.

Cover with a tea towel and leave to treble in size for about 3 hours.

Flour a couple of baking sheets and have extra flour for your hands. Take half of the dough on one of the baking sheets and, with very well floured hands, stretch and pull the dough to form a roughly rectangular loaf (30cm long). Neaten and plump up the loaf by running your fingers down each side and tucking the edges under the dough.

Do the same with the other half of the dough.

Leave uncovered to prove, for 20 minutes. The loaves will spread and grow.

Bake at 220C for 30 minutes, then leave to cool on a wire rack.