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CIABATTA (Italian Slipper Bread) 

Actually, Dr. E is the bread baker of the tribe. This one is originally from "Gourmet," March 1998, considerably modified by Dr. E to contain only the ingredients found in and to resemble Orlando Ciabatta Bread - that is, no fat and no sugar.

The ciabatta requires a simple sponge, but it takes only a few minutes to put it together the day before making the bread. The dough for the ciabatta is very wet and sticky, so resist the temptation to add more flour.

For this recipe you will need a baking stone or about six unglazed quarry tiles.

For the sponge:

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
4 Tbsp Warm water (115 F.)
1 cup room-temp water
2 cup enriched bread flour*

For the bread:

1/2 tsp Diastatic Malt Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 cup enriched bread flour*

* Unbleached wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, etc.

To make sponge:

In a small bowl, stir together yeast and warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. Stir together yeast mixture, room-temp water and flour and mix 4 or so minutes. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature at least 12 hours and up to 1 day. Should be bubbly and sour smelling when uncovered.

To make bread:

Blend together flour, salt and malt. Blend flour mixture with sponge a small amount at a time. After thorough mixing, round off into a ball, place in a lightly oiled bowl, and cover with plastic wrap or cookie sheet. Dough will be sticky, so resist the temptation to add more flour. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours.

Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface. Flour hands and knead a bit to round off into one loaf about six inches across the narrowest side. Have ready a well-floured.12 X 14-inch sheet of parchment paper on working surface. Transfer loaf to the parchment. Dust top with flour. Cover loaf with a dampen ed kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Let rise at room temperature until almost double 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 arranged close together on oven rack near bottom of oven (one notch up from full bottom) and preheat to 400 degrees F.

Trim away excess parchment. Score top of loaf with knife. Lift (by grabbing onto the parchment) and place all onto stone or tiles in oven. You may have to pull rack and tiles partly out of oven to do this. Don't burn your "hannies."

Bake ciabatta about 40 minutes, or until pale golden. Remove loaf to a rack to cool. Cover with a towel until at room temperature.

Makes 1 medium-large loaf.

I usually make a double recipe - two loaves - at a time.

To make a great Tomato Bread, add 3 Tbsp tomato powder - one per each cup of flour - and an extra Tbsp water per recipe. Mix tomato powder into flour, etc. when blending dry ingredients. An additional 1/2 tsp salt will bring out the tomato flavor a little more.

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