More from The Breadbaker's Apprentice: this time, ciabatta loaves using a poolish (half-dough that sits overnight). I'm sure that i know what i did wrong for these and the other breads: i used a food processor to combine the ingredients until they just form a ball, thinking that the speed would help incorporate everything more thoroughly and would prevent the dough from raising in temperature too much (my hands are oh-so-warm all of the time).
Turns out that after some internet research i may have been shooting myself in the foot. apparently the motor gives off a significant amount of heat to the workbowl, and the blade is just too severe for the gluten strands. instead of combining, i was making it pretty impossible for me to get some big holes from some very delicate gluten. the bread tastes fantastic, but (i know i forgot to take pictures of the crumb) it looks like plain white bread... no big holes or delighful nooks/crannies to be seen. and that's what makes these loaves a failure. i'm waiting until we use up all of the bread we have so that i can give this another shot. from now on, though, it's hand-kneading all the way.
also, added to that is the fact that my kitchenaid mixer is still broken, so it really is hand-kneading all the way. you guys should see my biceps. another few weeks of breadbaking and i'll look like madonna.
the most interesting thing about this recipe is the spritzing... to emulate profesisonal bread ovens, the recpe calls for the use of a steamtray with boiling water poured in at the same time as the bread is put in the oven, and then 4 good spritzes of water on the walls of the oven in 30-second intervals to create a steam environment so that the crust can form into something crispy like a ciabatta should be.
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