Ciabatta No-knead Bread

Ciabatta No-knead Bread

Thanks to Dave-the-printer-who-bakes, Mr frillypants is always coming home with another bready hint.  This one was a real goody.  This bread may have an adults-only rating,  because it's very chewy and needs a strong jaw.  The main thing with this incredibly easy recipe is time.  This sits for a total of 20 hours!  The mixing is easy,  the shaping is easy, the baking is easy.....  the waiting for that bready deliciousness is what's hard!!!

I'm going to include a ready reckoner....  I keep trying to count hours on my fingers,  working out when it will be ready.  Yes,  I really am that sleep-deprived and distracted that I can't work it out.  Let's blame the overnight feeds, shall we?  :)


Ingredients:

• 3 cups of Plain Flour
• 1/4 tsp of instant Yeast
• 1 1/4 tsp of Salt
• 1 1/2 cups of Warm Water

Method:

• In a large bowl mix together Flour, Yeast and Salt
• Add water and mix until it has all come together.
• Cover with cling film and leave in a safe place for 18 hours.  At least 18 hours.
• Grease a heavy crock pot (eg Le Crueset) that has a lid (I warmed it slightly in the oven)
• When that time is up, put sticky dough onto a lightly floured bench 
• With floured hands, shape dough by lightly flattening it out, pulling and pushing to form a circle
• Fold edges in onto the top, as if it's a square.  Four 'corners' brought to the middle
• Place the dough, folded-side down into the the crock pot and cut a cross into the dough with a very sharp knife
• Cover again with the plastic and allow to sit for another 2 hours
• Heat oven to 250ºC 
• Remove plastic from crock pot and sprinkle with some rolled oats if you'd like
• Put on the lid and bake for 45 minutes
• Remove the lid and bake for a further 15 minutes.

Verdict:  Yummeh!

                                    Ciabatta Bread Ready Reckoner

Mix at 12 noon  -  ready to eat at 9am   (shape at 6am, bake at 8am)
Mix at 9am        -  ready to eat at 6am   (shape at 3am, bake at 5am)  <-- see how I avoided a problem here??
Mix at 4pm        - ready to eat at 1pm    (shape at 10am, bake at 12noon)

That should be enough to get me through.  :)

Tweeks:  Dave says you could add bread improver to make it last longer??  Mr frillypants and I ask... longer than what??  We want to eat it all. NOW!!!  But,  I've heard that bread improver contains some very unsavoury things,  especially if you're a Vegan.  So,  I'd use Ascorbic Acid if I wanted to make it last longer.  But, like I said... who wants it last?  This is nom nom nom scoffing bread.  Maybe I'll freeze some,  just so I can report back how it works out.