07/04/07

Garlic Ciabatta/Claypot Bread

Since the New York Times article appeared, I have been thinking about trying the technique out. What prevented me from doing so was the lack of a suitable pot. I did not want to experiment with my wife ceramic pots and I thought it'd be cool to have one of those claypot found in the food courts for serving 'Sar Por Fun', meaning rice cooked in claypots. Since I am going to use a wet dough, I thought I might as well make some ciabatta with the rest of the dough. The local bakeries sell a garlic ciabatta and since I have never made such a bread, I thought it'd make a nice addition to my gallery.

Anyway, I found the claypot that I was looking for in one of the shops near my workplace. It was only S$9.90, about US$6.50. I wanted this claypot specifically because of the handle. This will enable me to load it into the oven with only one hand.

Unfortunately, I was left with only a small piece of dough to play with. I proofed the wet dough in my banneton. It was a partial success and I definitely need a little practice to perfect the procedure.