Ciabatta with pre-ferment
Light Italian bread with polish.
Notes
High gluten is required for this so autolyse measurements have been provided. The gluten surface is very important for this one because the dough is not shaped as to retain as much air as possible. Use plenty of folds during ferment. Simply build up the bottom surface of the dough, using olive oil during folds for easy release, and tip out onto surface when fermented, divide and proof on surface.
Classically, the polish (also known as "poolish" or "Vienna bread") was baked using only a preferment for leavening although now it is common to use yeast in addition to the preferment. This can be done and at any level up to a maximum of an additional 1.5%. Pre-ferment should be mixed in advance (temp from mixer 25°) and rested for 3h minimum (at 25°) or 16h minimum refrigerated (at 4°). The polish here is 69% hydration and makes up 15% of the flour weight. It is taken from Raymond Calvel's "Taste of Bread". The polish alone can be found on this site for reference.
Ingredients
| Bakers % | 500g total | 1kg total | 2kg total | 3kg total | 4kg total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Polish Flour | 15% | 42 | 84 | 169 | 253 | 337 |
| Polish Water | 10.35% | 29 | 58 | 116 | 174 | 233 |
| Polish Salt | 0.3% | 0.84 | 1.69 | 3.37 | 5 | 7 |
| Polish Yeast | 0.15% | 0.42 | 0.84 | 1.69 | 2.53 | 3.37 |
| White Flour | 85% | 239 | 478 | 955 | 1433 | 1910 |
| Autolyse Water | 50% | 140 | 281 | 562 | 843 | 1124 |
| Water | 17.65% | 50 | 99 | 198 | 297 | 397 |
| Salt | 1.7% | 5 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 38 |
Percentage total: 178%
Values have been rounded where the error would not be significant (p < 0.05).
Last compiled at 2025-09-07 19:30:27.383395