CIABATTA (Old Shoe) Adapted from a recipe in "Artisan Baking Across America," by Maggie Gleezer, This is a "must have" book for serious bread bakers. ISBN 1-57965-117-8
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Page 3 Forming and proofing the loaves Prepare a piece of parchment paper the size of the baking stone and cut in half. yielding one piece for each loaf. Place each piece in a forming rack. (This could be nothing more than rolled up towels laid side-by side to keep the loaves from spreading.) Turn the dough onto a well floured cutting board and cut in half. Form each half into a 'log' and carefully lay on the parchment paper in the forming rack. Flour the top of the loaves and cover with cloth. Let proof for 45 minutes - 1 hour. Baking the bread Mid-way through the proofing step, put the baking stone on a rack in the over and pre-heat to 450'F. After the loaves are proofed, carefully pick up each one by the corners of the parchment paper and lay them side-by-side on the oven peel. Place the peel on the baking stone, and with a quick motion, pull it out from beneath the loaves. Bake 20 minutes, then rotate the loaves. Bake another 20 minutes. At 5 minutes intervals during the final 20 minutes, spray water on the side of the oven to produce steam. This is what gives the bread the crust. Be careful not to spray the bread, the heating elements or the over light cover. Let cool on a rack. Store in an open paper bag for up to a day. To re-heat, place on oven rack at 350'F for 10 minutes. Go to Page 1