In another thread Pete-zza made reference to a recipe and method for a Rustic Ciabatta Pizza, and provided this link
http://hollosyt.googlepages.com/quickrusticciabattapizza . Thank you Peter. Other forum members, including the author of this recipe, have also posted regarding this pizza. However, I elected to start a new thread to keep the topic current.
The recipe is given by volume instead of by weight, so I made some conversions and ran it through the dough calculator. Although a photograph caption indicated that it was a 100% hydration recipe, I used the mass - volume food converter which reflected one cup of water being about 237 grams; - then went to the dough calculator to convert the recipe into weights:
Flour (100%): 250 g | 8.82 oz | 0.55 lbs
Water (94.8%): 237 g | 8.36 oz | 0.52 lbs
IDY (1.2%): 3 g | 0.11 oz | 0.01 lbs | 1 tsp | 0.33 tbsp
Salt (2.8%): 7 g | 0.25 oz | 0.02 lbs | 1.46 tsp | 0.49 tbsp
Total (198.8%): 497 g | 17.53 oz | 1.1 lbs | TF = N/A
Peter and I discussed 2 items that were unclear in the recipe, that is the type of yeast and water temperature. I used IDY and room temperature water. The recipe was extremely easy to execute and the dough came together in my mixer after about 6 minutes ( the recipe indicated 10 or more minutes). It yields a dough that is more like a thick batter. I poured it into an oiled plastic bowl and it tripled in size in about the specified 2 hours. I then dumped it onto a well floured cutting board, emphasis on well floured. After the dough rises it is very bubbly, almost jello-like and extremely sticky. Impossible to do anything with unless there is a lot of flour involved. I did an initial shaping on the cutting board then slid it onto my SuperPeel for final shaping. It shapes very easily but is also quite delicate.
I usually rub a thin layer of EVOO on top of the dough for some flavor and to prevent sauce penetration. However, this dough will not tolerate such a massage so I sprayed on a light coating of Pam. Then it was topped with sauce, Grande part skim mozz, and some sauteed mushrooms & onions. Into my Wesco 560 oven at about 650 degrees on a stone. Prior to this one, all of my pizzas are well cooked after about 5 to 6 minutes. However, probably because of the high hydration, this one took about 8 or 9 minutes.
I must admit, the crust is everything the author claimed it to be - crisp exterior, light bubbly interior, with just the right amount of chewiness and texture. Really good. I’m actually shocked over how good this crust is after only a 2 hour proof!
Now the down side - the dough is very hard to work with because of the hydration. Not hard to work with as far as shaping, that’s very easy. I can see people having a big problem transferring it from the cutting board to the peel and peel to oven. But with the SuperPeel it was not much of an issue for me. Absent the SuperPeel, I guess you’d have to do the parchment or a screen. The other issue, also related to the hydration, is all the bench flour required to interact with this dough. With all my other doughs, around 64% hydration, I use very little bench flour and the bottom of the pizza is clean. This ciabatta pizza yields a bottom crust with a nearly complete layer of flour. Not something I like or am accustomed to. But the taste and texture of this crust easily outweighs the flour issue. Attached photos include the shaped skin, dressed skin, slice profile, bottom, and a partially devoured remnant.
