Ciabatta

Poolish (sponge)
2½ cups (11.25 ounces) unbleached bread flour
1½ cups cold filtered water, heated for 30 seconds in microwave
¼ teaspoon instant yeast

Dough
Poolish (from above)
3 cups (13.5 ounces) unbleached bread flour
1¾ teaspoons Kosher salt
1½ teaspoons instant yeast
½ cup cold filtered water, heated for 15 seconds in microwave
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Poolish: Stir together the flour, water and yeast in a mixing bowl until all of the flour is hydrated. The dough should be soft and sticky, and look like very thick pancake batter. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and ferment at room temperature for 3 to 4 hours, or until the sponge becomes bubbly and foamy. Immediately refrigerate the poolish. (Note: The poolish will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Dough: Turn oven on for exactly 1 minute. Remove the poolish from the refrigerator and place in oven to remove the chill. Let sit in the oven for 1 hour.

Stir together the flour, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook. Add the poolish and water. Mix on low speed for 7 to 8 minutes, until the ingredients form a sticky ball, scrapping down the sides of bowl occasionally. The dough should clear the sides of the bowl, but stick to the bottom of the bowl. If necessary, add an additional Tablespoon of warm, filtered water to achieve the desired consistency.

Generously sprinkle a half-sheet pan with flour. Transfer the sticky dough to the sheet pan. Dust the top of the dough liberally with flour, patting the dough into a rectangle. Wait for two minutes for the dough to relax. Coat your hands with flour and lift the dough from each end, stretching it to twice its size. Fold the dough over itself, letter style, to return it to a rectangular shape. Brush the top with olive oil. Cover loosely with plastic wrap let rest for 30 minutes in a warm place (turn on the oven for exactly one minute to achieve a warm environment for the dough).

Stretch and fold the dough again. Brush the top with olive oil, and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow the covered dough to ferment in a warm place for 1½ to 2 hours. It should swell, but not necessarily double in size.

Line 2 half-sheet pans with parchment paper. Carefully remove the plastic wrap from the dough, and cut into 4 pieces. Sprinkle additional flour on sheet pan holding the dough. Roll each piece of dough on both sides in the flour to coat. Place piece of dough on parchment paper and pat to form a rectangle about 8 inches long and 4 inches wide. Repeat with remaining dough, placing 2 pieces per parchment lined half-sheet pan. Brush with olive oil and dust with flour. Cover with a dish towel that has been sprinkled with flour. Proof for 1 hour, or until the dough has noticeably swelled.

Preheat oven to 500° F 30 minutes before you are ready to bake the bread.

Place pan of boiling water on bottom rack of oven. Place one of the sheet pans on upper shelve of oven. Turn oven setting down to 450° F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until loaves are golden brown. Remove from oven to a cooling rack and allow to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing or serving. Repeat procedure for remaining two loaves. Yield: 4 loaves.

*Bread Machine Method: Place the poolish and all of the dough ingredients into the pan of bread machine. Program the machine for Manual or Dough, and press Start. Examine the dough about 10 minutes before the end of the second kneading cycle; it should be very tacky, but holding its shape somewhat. Adjust the dough's consistency with additional flour or water, as necessary. Allow the machine to complete its cycle. Proceed as above.