July 17, 2006 - 2:33pm
BBA ciabatta question
I just baked several loaves of ciabatta using the BBA's poolish version and found I had to use nearly twice as much water as the recipe called for (the day was very hot, but also humid). Anyone else have this experiece? I also baked three loaves using the BBA's biga version and found the percentages in keeping with the recipe.
Your thoughts would be appreciated.
Sylvia
in search of the perfect crust and crumb
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Not that I remember. In general, I've found the water recommendations all over the map in BBA. Sometimes I need to add a lot of water, sometimes a lot of flour.
In my experience, I've found that the water percentage in any formula is just a starting point. You'll have to adjust one way or the other. I always shoot for a little on the wet side during the initial mix, as it's easier to add flour later.
-Joe
Thanks, Joe.
The loaves did come out fairly well. Family sure liked both flavor and texture. I would have liked the holes quite a bit larger, however, the hole surfaces did gelatinize well -- a surprising gift. Will share photos shortly.
Will keep in mind that the recipes are a starting place. Will try again as soon as my oven is fixed. I was into my second batch of ciabatta when I noticed that the preheat light wasn't turning off. Turns out the oven was not getting above 350 degrees F. Had to adjust bake times, but loaves were saved. I didn't get the oven spring I would have liked, however.
Sylvia
In search of the perfect crust & crumb