Ciabatta Florentine Recipes

CIABATTA BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Make your starter the night before you plan to bake the bread.Mix together the yeast with 2 tablespoons of warm water. Allow it to stand for a few minutes.
• In a medium size mixing bowl stir together the yeast mixture with the flour and the water until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature overnight. If preparing it in the morning then let it sit until evening and up to 24 hours.
• Use your stand mixer and combine the yeast and the warm plant milk. Let it sit for a few minutes until creamy.Add the starter, olive oil, flour, sea salt and water and mix together for about 10 minutes until everything is incorporated.
• Prepare a large bowl lightly oiled with olive oil. Transfer the bread dough to it and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to sit until doubled in size, up to 2 hours.
• Turn the bread dough onto a well floured surface and with floured hands cut it in half. Form 2 long loaves.
• Transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet.
• Optional step: Flour your fingers well and create dimples in the top of the loaves. Sprinkle with some flour.
• Lightly dampen a tea towel and cover the loaves. Allow them to rise again until doubled in size, up to 2 hours.
• Meanwhile preheat your oven to 425" F with a Pizza Stone in the center for 1 hour before planning to bake the bread.Transfer one of the loaves to the preheated pizza stone (together with the parchment paper) and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown to your liking.
• Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing it with a serrated knife.

CIABATTA FLORENTINE

Steps:

• 1. Place the oil into a small sauce pan over medium heat. Add the chopped garlic.
• 2. When oil gets hot. But, not boiling. Turn burner off. ( do not boil) Do not let garlic turn dark brown. That means the garlic is burnt. You just want it to sit in the hot oil for about 30inutes. Stir occasionally.
• 3. Add in that remaining ingredients. Remove from burner. Set aside.
• 4. Heat oven or toaster oven to 400°. Place Pinenuts on a baking sheet. Toast until light golden brown. Keep an eye on them. They toast up quickly. Remove from oven to cool. Set aside
• 5. Prep: Finley slice and chop red bell pepper. slice and chop sun-dried tomatoes. Mix together in a bowl and drain.
• 6. Slice Ciabatta bread into about 16 slices. About 3/4 inch thick. Place on baking sheet. Place in 400° oven until lightly toasted on top. Turn bread and iightly toast. remove from oven.
• 7. Top each slice with garlic oil , mozzarella, sun-dried tomato, red pepper and spinach. Place back in oven.
• 8. Bake until mozzarella is melted and hot. Remove from oven and sprinkle with pinenuts. Serve hot!
• 9. Note: you will probably have some oil left over. Strain garlic from oil before storing in fridge for up to five days. You may use oil for bread dipping, or other!

CIABATTA BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• In a medium size bowl add water and dry yeast. Wait 10 minutes until the yeast is fully dissolved and has a "creamy' texture.
• Mix in the flour. You should get a very loose and sticky dough. It should have consistency thick enough not to come off from the spoon as, say, sour cream or greek yogurt, but wet enough so that it's impossible to knead it by hand.
• Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and let the dough rest at a room temperature for 3-4 hrs or overnight. I just don't recommend leaving biga for more than 24 hrs as the yeast will start to over-mature and loose its power.
• Once biga is rested it will become bubbly and might become even looser when you left it. Now pour lukewarm water in the bowl, going around the edges of the bowl and pouring small portions at a time. This is how we hydrate and aerate biga even more at the same time liberating it from the bowl.
• Pour biga and wate mix into a bowl of a standing mixer, oil the dough hook.Turn on your mixer on low speed, knead for a 1-2 minutes and start adding flour.
• In the last portion of flour (approx 1cup) add salt and mix it into the flour. Add to the dough.Knead on medium speed for 10 minutes. You'll notice the dough starting changing its texture. Becoming more smooth and starting to climb up the hook. Increase mixer speed to high and knead for another 10 minutes. If you mixer bowl is large enough you'll see the dough coming off the bowl sides. That's a perfect sign the dough is ready and has developed strong gluten.You would be able to tell just from the look that it's very silky and shiny.
• Transfer the dough to a big oiled bowl, so that there is enough space for the bread to double or triple.Cover with plastic wrap and let it rise at a room temperature for about 40-50 minutes.
• After the first 40-50 minutes the dough will double in size. Deep a silicon spatula in a water and start folding the dough onto itself, from the outside to the center of the bowl. You should be able to make 6-10 folds.
• Do it gently, so that the dough becomes well aerated and not deflated.Now using both hands, rise the dough from the bowl letting it fold, turn the bowl 90 degrees and fold in the same manner again. Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for another 40-50 minutes.
• Repeat this last folding process once again and let the dough rest for the last 40-50 minutes.
• Once it's perfectly bubbly and screams to get out of the bowl, GENEROUSLY sprinkle the working surface with the flour. You'll regret if you wouldn't. The dough is veery sticky, but that's the secret for gorgeous light and airy ciabatta bread.
• Flip the bowl upside down and let the dough "slide" off of the bowl by itself.
• Sprinkle your scrapers and top of the dough with flour again. Constantly assisting with the scrapers give it a rectangular shape. Cut into elongated loaves or individual rolls. You can make the rolls either square or triangle and they are HEAVEN for panini.
• Generously sprinkle linen cloth with flour and using large dough scrapers transfer the bread loaves onto it. Separate each loaf with a towel fold (see the pictures) or use individual towel for each of the loaves.
• Turn on the oven to 450F while ciabatta bread rests on the towel.
• After 10-15 minutes flip ciabatta loaves over on parchment paper sprinkled with semolina or corn flour (to prevent bread from sticking).
• Just before you put the bread into the oven, spray the oven generously with cold water to create as much steam as you can. Steam really helps ciabatta bread to cook perfectly both on the inside and outside.
• Bake ciabatta for 20-25 minutes without EVER opening the oven. After 10 minutes in the oven reduce the heat to 400F. When it's golden brown, or may seem even slightly burned that is it. Your ciabatta bread has just reached its perfection and all you have left is let it cool for 15-20 on the wire rack.

FETA FLORENTINE BURGERS WITH FRIZZLED PROSCIUTTO ON PARMESAN-TOASTED CIABATTA ROLLS

Steps:

• Prepare a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill with a cover, or preheat a gas grill to medium-high.
• Combine the mayonnaise and sun-dried tomatoes in a small bowl and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
• For the patties: Place the oil in a 12-inch fire-proof skillet and set on the grill rack. When the oil is hot, add the onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach leaves and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add the sirloin, feta cheese, and salt. With your hands or a large spoon, gently mix well, handling the meat as little as possible to prevent compacting it. Form into 6 equal-sized patties.
• For the prosciutto: Pour the oil into the same skillet and place on the grill rack. When the oil is hot, add the prosciutto. Cook until well crisped, about 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain; set aside.
• When the grill is ready, brush the grill rack with vegetable oil. Place the patties on the rack, cover, and cook until the bottoms are brown, about 4 minutes. With a spatula, turn over the patties and cook an additional 4 minutes, or until done to your preference (internal temperature of 160 degrees F). During the last few minutes of grilling, top each patty with a slice of mozzarella cheese until melted. Lightly brush the cut sides of the rolls with the 4 tablespoons olive oil. Rub the cut sides of the garlic over the insides of the rolls, then sprinkle and press with the Parmesan. Place the rolls, cut sides down, on the outer edges of the grill rack to toast lightly.
• To assemble the burgers: Spread the mayonnaise mixture on the insides of the warm toasted rolls. Layer the bottom rolls with divided greens, the patties, and divided frizzled prosciutto. Top with the remaining rolls, serve, and enjoy!

CIABATTA

Steps:

• To Make Sponge: In a small bowl stir together 1/8 teaspoon of the yeast and the warm water and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In a bowl stir together yeast mixture, 1/3 cup of the water, and 1 cup of the bread flour. Stir 4 minutes, then cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let sponge stand at cool room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day.
• To Make Bread: In a small bowl stir together yeast and milk and let stand 5 minutes, or until creamy. In bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with dough hook blend together milk mixture, sponge, water, oil, and flour at low speed until flour is just moistened; add salt and mix until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
• Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. (Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles.) Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
• At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, put a baking stone on oven rack in lowest position in oven and preheat oven to 425 F (220 degrees C).
• Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to a rimless baking sheet with a long side of loaf parallel to far edge of baking sheet. Line up far edge of baking sheet with far edge of stone or tiles, and tilt baking sheet to slide loaf with parchment onto back half of stone or tiles. Transfer remaining loaf to front half of stone in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves 20 minutes, or until pale golden. Cool loaves on a wire rack.

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOMS FLORENTINE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Spritz mushrooms with cooking spray; place in a 15x10x1-in. pan, stem side up. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper. Bake, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes., Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat; saute onion until tender. Stir in spinach until wilted., Whisk together eggs and salt; add to skillet. Cook and stir until eggs are thickened and no liquid egg remains; spoon onto mushrooms. Sprinkle with cheese and, if desired, basil.