Ciabatta Rolls

These homemade ciabatta rolls taste like something you would buy at a fancy bakery, but they're made right in your own kitchen!

Is there anything better than the smell of freshly baked bread wafting through the house?  I think not!  If there was a fresh baked bread candle scent, I'd be first in line to buy it!

One of my favorite kinds of bread is ciabatta.  I love the crunchy exterior, and soft interior filled with holes, perfect for holding pools of melted butter.  I've made quite a few yeast breads before, but had never thought to try my hand at ciabatta until recently.

I don't know why I waited so long to make homemade ciabatta rolls!  The dough was unique, but actually quite easy to work with.  You will definitely need a stand mixer for this recipe as the dough is kneaded extensively and is extremely sticky.  You'll also want to be prepared with a floured surface and quick hands to transfer the dough when you cut the rolls.

These rolls were everything that I expected and then some!  They tasted like I had bought them from a fancy bakery, but I was proud to say I had made them myself.  They are delicious on their own, with a smear of butter and jam, or as the base for a tasty sandwich.  You'll have to stop back on Friday to see what I made with them...

Ciabatta Rolls

Makes 16 rolls

Ingredients:
For the biga:
1/2 cup warm water, 110 degrees
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 cup flour

For the ciabatta rolls:
2 cups + 2 Tablespoons warm water, 110 degrees
1 teaspoon yeast
Biga
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons salt

1.  The night before you want to make the ciabatta rolls, prepare the biga.  Dissolve the yeast in the water.  Add the flour and stir about 50 times to form a thick paste.  Cover and let the biga sit at room temperature at least 8 hours.  The biga should look soupy the next day.

2.  Dissolve the yeast into the water in the bowl of your stand mixer.

3.  Pour in the biga into the bowl and break it up with your hands or a spatula.

4.  Add all the flour and the salt.  Mix to form a dough.  Then allow the dough to sit for 15 minutes to allow the flour to absorb the water.

5.  Attach the dough hook to your mixer and knead the dough for 15-18 minutes at medium speed (5-6).  Keep an eye on your mixer as it has a tendency to move!  Also keep an eye on the dough: if it begins to climb up the dough hook, scrape it down and restart the mixer.  The dough will look smooth and glossy.  When you stop the mixer, it will probably puddle down into the bowl, rather than stay as a stiff dough.

6.  Cover the dough and let it rise for 2-3 hours, until tripled in bulk.

7.  Prepare your work surface for the dough by flouring it heavily.  The dough is extremely sticky, so you really can't over do it.  Pour the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured surface.  Try to pour it out to form a rectangle, but you can also carefully form the dough after your pour it out.  You want to handle the dough as little as possible so the bubbles don't deflate.

8.  Dust the top of the dough with more flour.  Using a pastry cutter or a pizza cutter, cut the dough into 16 pieces.

9.  Carefully scoop the dough from your work surface and place on a parchment paper lined cooking sheet.

10.  Allow the dough to rise, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes.

11.  Bake rolls at 475 for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown.

Allow the rolls to cool completely before slicing and eating.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  Rolls can also be frozen.

Source:  The Kitchn