Ciabatta Bread

Instructions

1. Combine all of the pre-ferment ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Whisk until the mixture resembles very thick pancake batter.
2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours, then transfer the mixing bowl to the refrigerator. Chill for at least 24 hours, and up to 96 hours.
3. To make the dough, take the pre-ferment out of the refrigerator 1 hour before beginning to mix the dough.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer, stir together the 3 cups of bread flour, the salt and the yeast with the paddle attachment. Add 6 tablespoons of the milk and the milk. Mix on low speed until the mixture forms a sticky ball, adding more milk a tablespoonful at a time if needed.
5. Increase the speed to medium, and mix for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mixture forms a smooth, sticky dough. Switch to dough hook attachment and knead on medium speed for 2 minutes, until the dough clears the side of the bowl but still stick to the bottom.
6. Sprinkle an 8-inch by 8-inch square of flour on a clean work surface. Use a dough scraper to transfer the dough from the mixing bowl to the work surface.
7. Dust the top of the dough with flour, and pat it into a rectangle. Let it rest about 2 minutes.
8. Coat your hands with flour, then lift the dough from each end and stretch it to twice its length. Fold the dough like a letter (take one third of the dough from one end, and fold in toward the middle, then repeat with the third on the other end).
9. Mist the dough with nonstick cooking spray, then dust with flour again. Loosely cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes.
10. Repeat Steps 8 and 9, but this time let the dough rest for 90 minutes. The dough will swell, but not double in size.
11. Lay a sheet of parchment, about the size of a baking sheet with one long end closest to you. Dust the parchment liberally with flour.
12. Carefully, using a dampened pizza cutter or dampened very sharp knife, cut the dough in half. Try not to burst press down and burst any of the gas bubbles.
13. Sprinkle one of the dough rectangles with more flour and using the scraper for extra support, get under the dough and carefully lift the dough onto one half of the prepared parchment.
14. Gently fold the dough into a letter again into a rectangle about 6 inches long.
15. Rpeeat Steps 13 and 14 with the other half of the dough, placing it on the other half of the parchment. Slide one half of the parchment toward the other, so that a wall pops up between the pieces of dough. Mist the tops of the dough rectangles with nonstick spray and dust with more flour, then cover the dough rectangles with a clean kitchen towel.
16. Let the dough proof for 1 hour.
17. While the dough proofs, arrange the shelves of your oven in the top and bottom thirds of the oven. Place a baking stone on the top shelf and place an empty baking pan on the bottom shelf. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
18. Dust a baking peel with cornmeal. Use a bench scraper to gently stretch the dough rectangles to about 9 inches in length and slide them onto the prepared peel. Use the peel to transfer the loaves onto the preheated baking stone. Pour 1 cup of water into the empty baking pan and close the oven door.
19. After 2 minutes, turn the oven temperature down to 450 degrees, and bake for 10 minutes. Rotate the loaves 180 degrees, and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until baked through (the loaves should be golden brown, hard and crusty).
20. Cool on a wire rack for 45 minutes before slicing with a bread knife and serving.