Ciabatta semplice

Stir the yeast into the 0.5 dl warm water with peck of sugar in a mixer bowl and let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. Add the water and mix the flour (be sure to weigh the flour, don’t just measure it by volume) and salt. The dough will be very sticky. Knead briefly on a well-floured surface, adding as little flour as possible, until the dough is still sticky but beginning to show evidence of being velvety, supple, springy, and moist. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled, about 1 1/4 hours. The dough should be full of air bubbles, very supple, elastic, and sticky. Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces on a well-floured surface. Roll each piece into a cylinder, then stretch each cylinder into a rectangle, pulling with your fingers to get each piece long and wide enough. It should be approximately 10 by 4 inches. The loaves will look flat and definitely unpromising, but don’t give up; they will rise more in the oven. Prepare a pan with baking paper. Approximately 30 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 425ºF (218ºC) and slide 2 baking stones on the center rack to heat. Bake for a total of 20 to 25 minutes, and spray with cold water when takes the breads from oven immediately.

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