01 · Flour performance
Flour sets the dough’s capacity.
Wheat flour varies in extraction, protein quality, milling, and storage. These properties influence water absorption and the dough’s ability to stretch while retaining structure. Two flours at the same weight can therefore produce different doughs at the same hydration.
Record the flour type and brand alongside dough temperature, fermentation time, and handling. That turns the next bake into a comparison of known conditions and helps locate the source of a change in strength or extensibility.
02 · Hydration
Hydration describes a ratio, not a result.
Baker’s hydration is water weight divided by flour weight. In the published formula, 700 g water against 1,000 g flour is 70%. That figure makes formulas comparable; it does not describe how the dough will feel unless flour and process are also considered.
More water can increase extensibility and make shaping more demanding. The baker must develop enough strength to retain fermentation gas while keeping the dough workable. Hydration alone does not produce a particular crumb.
700 g water ÷ 1,000 g flour = 70% hydration
03 · Preferment
Poolish and sourdough are distinct methods.
The published ciabatta formula uses a poolish made with wheat flour, water, and instant baker’s yeast. It is a yeast preferment, not sourdough. Sourdough relies on a maintained culture of yeasts and lactic-acid bacteria; the names describe different cultures and processes.
The source recipe gives the poolish a 12–18 hour window. Temperature and yeast activity affect its rate of development, so assess volume, bubbles, aroma, and structure with the clock. Time is a useful schedule; maturity is a condition of the dough.
04 · Strength and handling
Develop structure; preserve the gas.
Mixing and folds help organize a wet dough during bulk fermentation. Rest allows it to relax between handling. Division and shaping should establish the form while retaining as much of the gas already produced as the dough’s strength permits.
The target is a loaf with sound structure and an open, irregular interior—not a prescribed arrangement of holes. Record dough temperature, room conditions, fold intervals, and proof. Those observations help explain why one formula behaves differently across flours, kitchens, and days.
05 · Baking
The oven sets the final structure.
Ovens differ in calibration, heat recovery, airflow, and steam. The source recipe records 250–300°C and a 25–35 minute bake; these are the published settings, not a universal schedule. Observe the loaf’s expansion, crust colour, and set, and record the settings that produce a sound bake in your equipment.
Read the published formula and method