Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Bake

Ciabatta bread baked in the Charlie Oven

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Ciabatta

David Wright, The Breaducator, uses poolish and sourdough leaven for ciabatta with flavour and an open crumb. Hot stones and steam in Charlie develop the crust. Make rolls or one large loaf. Either way, give the dough time before you get to the tearing and eating.

David WrightBaker and author, Pump Street Bakery
Bake
Prep40 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Serves4 to 5 rolls or 1 large loaf
DifficultyMedium
Oven temperature275 to 300°C (525 to 570°F)
RackTwo Pizza and Baking Stones in the upper half, with the Deep Roasting Tray Rack on the lowest runners for steam
CharcoalThree quarters of a football of lumpwood charcoal, in the centre of the grates

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/en-us/blogs/charcoal-recipes/ciabatta

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Ingredients

For the poolish

For the leaven

For the final dough

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

  • Charlie Charcoal Oven$6,400.00Choose your oven
  • Pizza and Baking Stone$80.00
  • Deep Roasting Tray Rack$319.00
Pizza and Baking Stone and Deep Roasting Tray Rack $399.00 together

Method

Setting up Charlie
  1. Put two Pizza and Baking Stones on racks in the upper half before lighting, so they heat up gradually with the oven
  2. Set the Deep Roasting Tray Rack on the lowest runners, ready for the steam
  3. Build a small pyramid of three quarters of a football of lumpwood charcoal in the centre of the grates and light with one or two natural firelighters
  4. Open both vents fully and close the door. When Charlie is about 10°C short of 275 to 300°C (525 to 570°F), set both vents to about a knuckle open (2.5cm or 1in) to hold the heat
  5. Give the stones at least 30 minutes to heat through before baking

  1. Make the poolish and leaven

    On day 1, mix the poolish ingredients in one sealed container and the leaven ingredients in another, until each forms a smooth paste. It takes about two minutes. Leave both in the fridge overnight. No sourdough starter? Skip the leaven and double the poolish instead.

  2. Mix the dough

    On day 2, put the flour, water, poolish and leaven in a stand mixer with a dough hook, leaving out the salt. Mix until combined, then rest for 30 minutes.

  3. Add the salt

    Add the salt and mix for 4 minutes on slow, then 6 minutes on fast, until the dough is smooth and silky. It will be very wet, and that is how it should be.

  4. Bulk ferment

    Tip the dough into a lightly oiled container and cover. Leave it for 2 hours, stretching and folding it every 30 minutes: lift each side of the dough in turn and fold it over the middle.

  5. Light Charlie

    About 45 minutes before the bulk ferment ends, put two Pizza and Baking Stones on racks in the upper half of Charlie, so they heat up slowly with the oven. Set the Deep Roasting Tray Rack on the lowest runners, ready for the steam. Build a small pyramid of three quarters of a football of lumpwood charcoal in the centre of the grates and light it with one or two natural firelighters. Open both vents fully and close the door. When Charlie is about 10°C short of 275 to 300°C (525 to 570°F), set both vents to about a knuckle open to hold the heat. Give the stones at least 30 minutes to heat through.

  6. Shape

    Tip the dough onto a well floured surface and dust the top with flour. Cut it into 4 or 5 rolls, or leave it as one loaf, handling it as gently as you can to keep the air in. It can go straight into the oven.

  7. Bake with steam

    Slide the dough onto the hot stones. Pour 300ml of cold water into the tray on the lowest runners and close the door straight away. Cold water steams slowly and for longer, which gives ciabatta its crisp crust. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until deep golden and hollow sounding when tapped underneath.

  8. Cool, then tear

    Cool on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before tearing in, so the crumb has time to set.
    Cool, then tear

Tips

  • No sourdough starter? Skip the leaven and double the poolish instead
  • Handle the dough very gently when shaping: the open crumb comes from keeping the air bubbles
  • Use cold water for the steam, not hot; it steams slowly and for longer, so the crust stays crisp
  • Put the stones in before lighting, so they heat gradually and don't crack
  • No wood is needed for this recipe

More recipes

The cook

David Wright

Baker and author, Pump Street Bakery

David Wright, known as The Breaducator, is a third generation Suffolk baker who was named Baker of the Year at the 2017 Baking Industry Awards. He coordinates the baking workshops at Pump Street Bakery and co-wrote DJ BBQ's Backyard Baking, a book of recipes for baking over live fire.

More recipes by David Wright

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I make ciabatta without a sourdough starter?

    Yes. If you have no sourdough starter, skip the leaven and simply double the poolish quantities instead. The rest of the method stays the same, including the overnight rest in the fridge.

  • How do I get a crisp crust on ciabatta in Charlie?

    Use steam. As soon as the bread is on the stones, pour 300ml of cold water into the Deep Roasting Tray Rack, or any deep metal tray, on the lowest runners and close the door. Cold water steams slowly and for longer than hot, which is what gives the crust its crunch.

  • What temperature should Charlie be for baking ciabatta?

    Bake on preheated stones at 275 to 300°C (525 to 570°F) for 15 to 20 minutes. Use three quarters of a football of lumpwood charcoal. Put the stones in before you light Charlie, so they heat up gradually, and give them at least 30 minutes.

  • Why is my ciabatta not open and airy inside?

    Usually the dough has been handled too firmly. Ciabatta gets its open crumb from the air bubbles built up during the 2 hour bulk ferment, so flour it well and cut and move it very gently to keep them.

  • Can I bake one large loaf instead of rolls?

    Yes. Leave the dough in one piece and bake it for the full 20 minutes, or a little longer, until it is deep golden and sounds hollow when you tap it underneath.