Ciabatta with Poolish (Maida) — Makes ~1 Medium Loaf (500 g Flour)

Instructions

1. 1

   Weigh and prepare: accurate scales matter. Have a large bowl, bench, parchment, and oven stone/tray ready.

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   Make the poolish: whisk 125 g water, 125 g maida and 0.25 g yeast until smooth. Cover and leave at room temperature 3–4 hours until bubbly and domed (or refrigerate overnight and bring to room temp).

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   Mix final dough: in a bowl combine 150 g water and the poolish; stir to loosen. Add 250 g maida and 1.5 g yeast; mix until a rough, sticky mass forms. Add 8 g salt and 10–15 g olive oil; incorporate. Dough will be wet and slack — that's correct.

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   Autolyse/rest: cover 20–30 minutes.

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   Stretch-and-folds: every 30 minutes perform one set of stretch-and-folds (lift and fold from four sides). Do 3–4 sets over ~1.5–2 hours until dough gains strength and shows bubbles.

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   Bulk fermentation: after the last fold, let dough rise covered until increased ~30–50% and aerated (about 1–1.5 hours depending on temperature).

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   Pre-shape and bench rest: heavily flour your surface. Gently turn dough out, divide if you want two small loaves or keep whole for one medium loaf. Handle gently to preserve bubbles. Rest 20–30 minutes covered.

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   Final shape/proof: on heavily floured parchment, gently stretch into a loaf/rectangle. Dust with flour and proof 40–60 minutes until puffy and jiggly.

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   Preheat oven: 45 minutes before baking heat oven to 250–260°C (480–500°F) with a stone or heavy tray inside; place a shallow pan on the bottom rack for steam.

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    Bake with steam: slide loaf on parchment onto hot stone. Pour ~150 ml boiling water into the bottom pan for steam, close door. Bake 10–15 minutes with steam until color develops.

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    Finish baking: remove steam, lower temp to 220°C (430°F), bake another 10–12 minutes until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped.

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    Cool: cool on a rack 30–45 minutes before slicing.

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    Notes:

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    Total hydration here ≈ 55% (275 g water / 500 g flour). You can increase final water to 170–180 g (total ~60%) for a more open crumb if you’re comfortable handling wetter dough.

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    Use plenty of flour on your hands and bench for shaping; be gentle — maida tears more easily than strong flour.