Experiments in Baking: Ciabatta Bread

Baking Bread

Recipe for Ciabatta Bread taken from Lab 10

The first step in the recipe was done in advance--- the making of the 'sponge'
The sponge is primarily yeast and flour, and the starch, a microorganism, digests the starch in the yeast. The chemical reaction, which takes place during the overnight fermentation process, generates Carbon Dioxide, resulting in the bubbles.

The next day, I added the sponge to the other ingredients to create the dough, then separated the dough into two pieces, which I proceeded to bake. I placed a pan of water on the rack below, which generated enough steam to slow the baking of the crust and adding enough moisture to prevent burning and toughness. Then I cleaned up the broken glass off the floor from the first pan I was going to use... As anyone who has watched me cook can attest, I am not what one would call 'graceful.'

After removing the bread from the oven, where it was raised and solidified through the heat, and cooling it, I sliced open the small loaf. The inside was much softer than the outside, and had large pockets of air caused by trapped gas bubbles from the mixing, kneading, and the released CO2. The gluten network in bread is very strong, and greatly contributes to the structure as well.

The bread was sweeter and softer than I expected, given the tough crust on the outside. It was quite hearty and tasted lovely with homemade strawberry jam.

To further my baking experiences, I divested the tree in my yard of it's small, sour, pie cherries (risking life and limb to do so), and pitted them (risking my remaining sanity), to make a pie. The filling was straightforward and reminiscent of earlier labs, particular the ones focusing on starch, due to the thickening process. The crust was in many ways similar to the formation of the bread, but notably lacking any yeast. As such, the dough did not rise, nor form any of the bubbles caused by kneading and CO2 production. The crust was firm and flaky and sweet, unlike the spongy texture caused by the yeast containing bread.