Wild Mushroom Ciabatta

1. 1

   Soak the dried mushrooms in the water for 30 minutes (you can do this just prior to making the final dough or the day before).

2. 2

   Meanwhile, saute the fresh mushrooms and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat just until they are soft.

3. 3

   Strain off the pan juices and add them to the soaking dried mushrooms.

4. 4

   Add salt and pepper to taste to the remaining mushrooms, and set them aside to cool.

5. 5

   Make the dough as directed in the master formula, adding the dried mushrooms and their juice as you mix the dough and using as much liquid as is necessary to make a soft, sticky dough.

6. 6

   Proceed as described in the poolish verson.

7. 7

   When you perform the 2 stretch-and-fold turns, sprinkle one-quarter of the sauteed fresh mushrooms (or less, if you are making 3 smaller loaves) over each piece of dough each time and fold them in.

8. 8

   If any fall out, simply add them in the next time or slip them between the folds.

9. 9

   Probably the most popular bread among my students is wild mushroom ciabatta.

10. 10

    I included an excellent formula for this in Crust & Crumb, but have developed a new technique for making this and other flavored variations using the new formulas in this book.

11. 11

    Here are three examples, but there are no limits to the options.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.