Ciabatta is a traditional Italian bread… or so I thought. According to the BBC, “ciabatta, was invented in 1982” by a baker named Arnaldo Cavallari. But is that really true? I do not doubt that ciabatta was only popularized in the 80’s and most likely also only got its name recently, but compared to other bread (which is at least 9,100 years old), ciabatta is really not that different. So, it may actually be more likely that ciabatta was being made long before the 80’s but only gained any popularity or even a name recently. And if you see the few differences between normal bread and ciabatta, I’m sure you’ll agree.
Hydration Levels
One main reason for the difference between ciabatta and normal white bread is the hydration level. Hydration levels are essentially the ratio of water to flour, expressed as a percentage. Hydration levels are calculated by taking the weight of water and flour in grams and dividing the weight of the water by the weight of flour.
For example, white bread tends to have a hydration level of 65-70%, but it can be slightly lower than that.
Ciabatta, on the other hand, has a hydration level of 76-88%; this higher hydration level is the main cause for the difference in appearance and texture.
But what do hydration levels actually do? Well, as you may know if you have ever eaten ciabatta, the higher hydration levels cause the airy, hole-filled look of ciabatta, as well as the distinctive chewy texture. This is because water strengthens the gluten network, causing the chewy texture, and more air to be trapped, creating bigger holes. Along with this, water also aids with the fermentation of the yeast, which is essential to ciabatta. But that leads to the next major difference between normal bread and ciabatta: fermentation.
Biga
Fermentation is an essential part of making ciabatta. Fermentation occurs in ciabatta through a mixture called the biga. Biga is one of the more common pre-doughs. A pre-dough is essentially what the name suggests: a dough made in advance that usually contains commercial yeast, flour, and water. This dough is then fermented, usually overnight (~12 hrs). This is what causes the unique texture and airiness of ciabatta, as the fermentation creates a more open crumb and chewiness, along with a more caramelized, crispy crust, giving ciabatta its signature look and texture.
Other Pre-doughs
While biga is one of the most common pre-doughs, there are others, specifically the poolish, a French pre-dough very similar to a biga, both are feremented for ~12 hours, with the same ingredients, the only major change is the ratio of flour to water, as poolish is a liquid, while a biga resembles a normal dough. From hearing this description however, you may have expected to hear about a very common ferment for baking, the sourdough starter, it seems to be very similar to a poolish, it is a fermented, usually liquid “dough” that is used for baking bread, however a sourdough starter is not considered a pre-dough. But to find out why, we may need to look slightly closer at sourdough starters. If you want to learn that, along with how to make a sourdough starter, and some more knowledge on the process of fermentation in baking, come back soon to join me in my upcoming series of posts exploring my journey through making a new sourdough starter! I’ll take you through the whole process and also finally answer the question of why a sourdough starter is not a pre-dough.
