Midnight Ember Ciabatta

A slim, aromatic deep ciabatta with overnight preferment and sun-dried tomatoes – spicy, tangy, and perfect for a quick dinner for two.

Preparation

1. For the preferment, in the evening mix 150 g of wheat flour, 150 g of water, and 1 g of fresh yeast in a bowl until smooth. Cover and let it ferment at room temperature for 10–14 hours, until the preferment is airy and shows clear bubbles.
2. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes into small pieces. If they are very dry, briefly pour hot water over them, let them soak for 10 minutes, and then drain well.
3. The next day, mix the preferment with the remaining flour, 130 g of water, 2 g of fresh yeast, salt, and olive oil. Knead into a very soft, smooth dough or mix slowly for 3–4 minutes and then a bit faster for 5–6 minutes.
4. Gently incorporate the sun-dried tomatoes until evenly distributed.
5. Let the dough rise covered for 60–75 minutes. During this time, stretch and fold it once after 20 and 40 minutes to develop structure.
6. Flour the work surface well, gently slide the dough onto it, and shape it into an elongated ciabatta, being careful not to press out too much air.
7. Place the ciabatta on baking paper and let it relax for 30–40 minutes. During this time, preheat the oven to 240 °C (464 °F) with a baking tray or baking stone inside.
8. Dust the ciabatta with a little flour and bake vigorously for 18–22 minutes, until the crust is golden brown to deep bronze. For more oven spring, introduce some steam at the beginning.
9. Let it cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing, allowing the crumb to set.