YEASTED CIABATTA

❚ 900 g water, warmed to 77°F (25°C)

❚ 1,000 g hard winter wheat flour (I like Magog)

❚ 25 g sea salt

❚ 10 g fresh compact yeast (or 4 g active dry yeast, see note)

❚ Neutral oil (see note), for greasing

❚ Bench flour (see note), for dusting

1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the water, flour, salt and yeast. Mix on low speed until the flour is incorporated, about 1 minute. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set the dough aside to hydrate for 45 minutes. The dough’s texture will change from rough to smooth as it rests.

2. Uncover the bowl and mix on low speed for 4 minutes; then mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a medium oiled bowl, cover it with plastic wrap and place the dough in the refrigerator to cold-ferment for about 72 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 500°F (260°C) and set a baking stone or inverted baking sheet in the oven to preheat as well.

4. With a bench scraper, loosen the dough from the sides of the bowl and turn it out onto a liberally floured work surface, trying to maintain the shape of the bowl. Generously dust the surface of the dough and your bench scraper with more bench flour. Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces, slicing decisively to decrease the risk of collapse. Coax each piece into a rectangle by gently pushing the dough into the desired shape.

5. Transfer one piece of the dough to a pizza peel that has been dusted with bench flour, or a parchment-lined inverted baking sheet that has been dusted with bench flour. Give it a gentle push with your fingertips, working vertically from one edge of the dough to the other, and set it aside at room temperature to proof for 15 minutes.

6. Transfer the piece of dough to the preheated baking stone or inverted baking sheet. If using a parchment-lined baking sheet as a peel, slide the dough and parchment together onto the preheated surface. Bake until the ciabatta is a light golden colour, about 17 minutes.

7. Allow the ciabatta to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Repeat with the remaining dough.

8. The bread will reach its height of fragrance after cooling completely, or ideally the next day. Stored in a brown paper bag or wrapped in plastic wrap, it keeps well for up to 3 days on the counter; or wrapped in plastic wrap it will keep for up to 6 months in the freezer. Makes: four 450-gram loaves Notes:

❚ Fresh compact yeast, also known as cake yeast and fresh compressed yeast, has a small amount of water in it, so when you add it to the dough it blends easily. Active dry yeast, on the other hand, must be dissolved in water to be activated.

❚ Use extra-virgin olive oil or any other neutral oil like grapeseed, canola, peanut, soybean or corn.

❚ When you dust a work surface to make pasta or to shape bread, use a bench scraper to gather any excess flour and store it in a sealed container in a cool, dry place. Use the recycled flour mixture again in recipes calling for “bench flour.” This is a practical way to incorporate unused flour, reducing waste.