Ciabbata Rolls

Since I like to do things the old-fashioned way a lot of the time, this recipe is slightly adapted because I don't have a dough hook attachment for my mixer (which is about 700 years old) and mixed and kneaded the dough by hand. Like any recipe written by Daniel Leader (author of Bread Alone) these may take a bit of effort, but are so worth it.

Ciabatta Rolls

From Panini Express by Daniel Leader and Lauren Chattman

Ingredients:

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon tepid water (70-78 degrees)

1 teaspoon instant yeast

1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan and brushing the rolls



1. Pour the water into a large bowl and then add the yeast, flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil and stir with a spatula to blend into a dough.

2. Turn the dough onto a well floured surface and knead for about 12-15 minutes (which will seem like quite long time to do by hand, so I recommend putting on some music you like so you don't get bored). You may need to dust the dough with more flour so it doesn't stick to your hands, so have a bowl of it nearby.

3. Oil a 7 X 11 baking dish and scrape the dough into the dish. Pat it with oiled fingertips to flatten it.

4. Let the dough rest 5 minutes, then use lightly oiled fingertips to push and stretch it across the bottom of the dish.

5. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm, draft free place until it has doubled in volume and reaches the top of the pan, about 2 hours.

6. Lightly oil a large baking sheet and invert the dough onto the baking sheet, then use a sharp chef's knife to cut the dough into six squares, then use the knife to push the squares three inches apart from each other.

7. Drape a sheet of plastic wrap over the dough pieces and leave them to expand by about 50%, around 40 minutes.

8. Preheat the oven to 475 F.

9. Remove the plastic and bake the rolls until dark golden brown, about 20 minutes.

10. Brush the hot rolls with olive oil and let cool completely on the baking sheet before slicing.