Homemade Sourdough Ciabatta

Prepare all ingredients: wheat flour, water, dry yeast, salt, and semolina flour.

Mix 165 g of flour, 130 ml of warm water and a pinch of yeast until homogeneous. This will be your starter.

Cover the starter with plastic wrap and leave it at room temperature for 12–24 hours.

Mix the starter with the remaining ingredients: the rest of the flour, water, yeast, and salt. At first, it may seem like there is too much flour, but continue kneading without adding water until you get a uniform, smooth, and slightly sticky dough.

Cover the bowl with dough with film and leave at room temperature for 45 minutes.

Wet your hands with water. In the bowl itself, take one edge of the dough, pull it up and fold it in half. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees, stretch the edge of the dough and fold it in half. Repeat the same with the third and fourth edges. Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 45 minutes. Repeat this procedure 2 more times at 45-minute intervals.

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Place a heat-resistant skillet at the bottom and preheat an inverted baking sheet in the middle. On a flour-dusted surface, divide the dough into two equal parts. With wet hands, shape two rectangles.

Transfer the loaves onto parchment dusted with semolina flour. Sprinkle the bread with flour, cover with a towel and let it rest for an hour.

Transfer the parchment with bread to a hot baking sheet. Throw ice into a pan on the bottom of the oven, place the baking sheet with bread and immediately close the door. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped.

Let the finished ciabatta cool before slicing.