Instructions

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1. Stir the water, 2 cups of the flour, and 1 teaspoon of the yeast together in a bowl, cover, and let this starter sponge rest at room temperature for several hours, or overnight.
2. When the sponge has risen and is very foamy, add to it the remaining flour, 1 teaspoon of yeast, and salt, and mix vigorously until the dough begins to hold together. This will be a very shaggy, slightly sticky dough. Only add a little more flour of the dough seems too wet and hard to handle. Lightly flour the sides of the bowl and the top of the dough. Cover the bowl with a piece of oiled plastic wrap and let the dough rise for 1 hour or so.
3. After it has risen, gently deflate the dough. Set it aside to rise another hour.
4. Turn it out onto a liberally floured work surface and sprinkle lots of flour on top. With your fingertips, flatten the dough to an 8″ x 10″ rectangle, about 3/4″ thick, and cut it lengthwise into two pieces, each about 4″ x 10″.
5. Gently pick up the loaves and transfer them onto a baking sheet lined with a piece of parchment, leaving some space between the two. Cover with heavily oiled plastic wrap, and let rise until puffy, about an hour.
6. While the dough is rising, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Bake the ciabatta in the preheated oven until it is golden brown, approximately 22 minutes. Time will vary depending on your oven, so begin checking for doneness after 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer the finished loaves to a cooling rack.

Recipe courtesy of Jane Ward, Food and Fiction (http://authorjaneward.wordpress.com), 2010.