Sourdough Ciabatta Rolls

My home smells like Panera now...but better

I used to work at Panera Bread (although I would never work there again, it will always have a special place in my heart) and when I made these ciabatta rolls, I felt like I was back. These were surprisingly so easy and fun to make. I snagged this recipe from Little Spoon Farm :)

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Prep Time: 15min Ferment Time: 10-12 hours Bake Time: 30min Yield: 8 rolls

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Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup (100 g) active sourdough starter

• 4 cups + 2 tablespoons (500g) bread flour

• 1 2/3 cup (400g) of water

• 2 teaspoons (10g) salt

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Instructions:

1. Active Sourdough: Make sure your sourdough starter is active, meaning that it smells tangy, looks bubbly and has doubled in size from the last time it was fed. For me, I usually feed my sourdough starter right before bed so it is ready to be used first thing in the morning.

2. Mix the Dough: Combine the active sourdough starter, bread flour, water, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Use a stiff spatula or your hands to incorporate the ingredients, making sure there are no dry bits left in the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 1 hour. I HIGHLY recommend weighing your ingredients. I recently started doing so (because I finally bought a weigh scale) and it truly does make a difference.

3. Stretch and Fold: Perform 3 sets of stretches and folds, 30 minutes apart. Keep the bowl covered in between each set. Since I work full-time, I take my dough to work and set reminders for myself to do these folding sessions. Without fail, despite my reminders, I still forget to fold them at each 30 minute mark and fold them maybe after 45 minutes up to an hour after the last one. And guess what, it still came out just fine and delicious.

4. First Rise: Cover the dish and allow the dough to rise about 50% in volume. This can take anywhere from 3-6 hours at room temperature. Warm kitchens will take less time, cold kitchens will need more time.

5. Second rise. Place the covered bowl of dough in the fridge for 8-36 hours for a long ferment OR proceed to the next step and shape the dough. With my schedule, I usually have done all the folding by 9-9:30am and will put it in the fridge around noon until I get home from work around 5pm.

6. Shape. Remove the dough from the fridge and generously flour your work surface before turning the dough out onto it. Flour the top of the dough and use your hands to form it into a rectangular shape. Be careful not to press the air from the dough. Cut the dough into 8 pieces and place them on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover with a clean towel and allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 2 hours or until puffy. I would make sure to leave a generous amount of space between each piece; as they rise/get puffy they tend to expand. It’s just to avoid the doughs morphing into one.

7. Bake. While the dough is resting, preheat your oven to 475°F (246°C). Bake the ciabatta dough for 10 minutes, turn the oven down to 425°F (218°C) and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown. Allow the ciabatta bread to cool on a cooling rack for 30 minutes before slicing.

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Notes:

1. These are absolutely delicious for sandwiches or even garlic bread!

   1. For garlic bread, just mix together 1/2 cup of softened salted butter, 1 tbsp of fresh parsley, 4 cloves of garlic (minced), spread over the sliced bread, bake for 10 minutes at 425°F (or 13 minutes for a crispier bread), and let rest before enjoying. If you’re feeling fancy, add some fresh parmesan cheese to the mixture.

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