Name: Chef John's Whole Wheat Ciabatta
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 12
Ingredients: Warm water - 1 cup; All-purpose flour - ½ cup; Whole wheat flour - ½ cup; Rye flour - ¼ cup; Active dry yeast - ¼ teaspoon; All-purpose flour - 1 cup; Whole wheat flour - 1 cup; Water at room temperature - ½ cup; Shelled sunflower seeds - 2 tablespoons; Polenta - 1 tablespoon; Ground flax seeds - 1 tablespoon; Salt - 1 ¾ teaspoons; Honey - 1 ½ teaspoons; All-purpose flour, for dusting - 1 teaspoon; Cornmeal, or as needed - ½ teaspoon

Ingredients for - Chef John's Whole Wheat Ciabatta

1. Warm water 1 cup

2. All-purpose flour ½ cup

3. Whole wheat flour ½ cup

4. Rye flour ¼ cup

5. Active dry yeast ¼ teaspoon

6. All-purpose flour 1 cup

7. Whole wheat flour 1 cup

8. Water at room temperature ½ cup

9. Shelled sunflower seeds 2 tablespoons

10. Polenta 1 tablespoon

11. Ground flax seeds 1 tablespoon

12. Salt 1 ¾ teaspoons

13. Honey 1 ½ teaspoons

14. All-purpose flour, for dusting 1 teaspoon

15. Cornmeal, or as needed ½ teaspoon

How to cook deliciously - Chef John's Whole Wheat Ciabatta

1 . Stage

Make the sponge: Stir warm water, flours (all-purpose flour, whole wheat, and rye), and yeast together in a large bowl until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit until bubbly and doubled in volume, 5 to 6 hours.

2 . Stage

Start the ciabatta: Stir all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, water, sunflower seeds, polenta, flax seeds, salt, and honey into sponge with a wooden spoon until a very sticky dough ball forms, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in volume, 10 hours to overnight.

3 . Stage

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Dust parchment paper with 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour and cornmeal.

4 . Stage

Scrape dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface; press down to remove air, then form into a smooth oval loaf. Place dough onto the prepared baking sheet. Dust top of loaf lightly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon all-purpose flour, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

5 . Stage

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Place a baking dish filled with water on the bottom rack of the oven.

6 . Stage

Remove plastic wrap from risen dough and mist the top of the dough with water.

7 . Stage

Bake in the preheated oven, misting the top of the loaf with water every 8 to 10 minutes, until loaf is golden and sounds hollow when tapped, 30 to 35 minutes total. Transfer bread to a cooling rack and let cool completely before slicing.