The Best Ciabatta from the Wood Fired Oven

[@mannadavid]

More pizza recipes and techniques and bread recipes on our wood fired bread playlist so do join us there. kzbin.info/aero/PLc9qlfBQ8Eizxp7PRIUjZhKSx01BBq5vC

[@rich11a15]

Some of the best and simple teaching of any I’ve seen, the science of bread making so clearly explained, inviting anyone to get started and enjoy an art form with instant gratification!

[@mannadavid]

thanks so much - we're so glad you've found the video useful. Happy cooking!

[@bzakie2]

I don’t think I’ve ever seen a better teacher on youtube. The whole thing is perfect. You not only explain what you’re doing, you explain WHY you’re doing it. You’re concise, you’re entertaining, the production values are fabulous. I’m a fan. Thankyou.

[@mannadavid]

Many thanks Jon - so pleased you enjoyed it!

[@tgchism]

Great process and finish loaves!

[@mannadavid]

thanks so much!

[@janetcook2379]

Hi David, on my list to bake in my wood fired oven, greetings from Vancouver Island!

[@mannadavid]

Hi Janet - thanks for your message and great to hear from you. Do let us know how you get on. What a beautiful part of the world you live in - we loved our time on Vancouver Island. Must come back some day! Best wishes David

[@kennyrodg]

I made these today and baked them after we had Pizza. I did the full Kg mix and got 6 very tasty Ciabattas from half the mix. The other half went in the freezer. It looks like a lot of effort but not so bad in practice. They are delicious and thanks for the video.

[@mannadavid]

glad they worked out Kenny; as you say it's straightforward omce you get started! Enjoy your bread. David and Holly

[@drowrghWasabi]

I just learn a lot about baking after watching some pizza videos and I'm definitely trying this with some dough I have fermenting, even though I just gave up on bread. Thank you sir, this can easily become my favorite cooking channel on KZbin!

[@mannadavid]

Thanks so much Alejandro - really pleased you like the videos and are finding them useful. Happy cooking! David and Holly

[@thenerd9884]

You are an artist!

[@mannadavid]

thankyou - do try baking the ciabattas; they are really awesome!

[@snazzyd6915]

I had no idea how much was happening when making dough! Fascinating...I learned a lot.

[@mannadavid]

thanks so much!

[@hankhorn903]

Just tried this with grand results. Looking forward to doing a Philly cheese steak sandwich on it. Your video was exceptionally helpful with the technique to handle such a sticky dough. Love the channel, thanks.

[@mannadavid]

Thanks so much for your commment Hank and we're delighted you found our video so useful. It's a super sticky dough so a challenge but it gives great results!

[@janetcook2379]

Hi Dave, I noticed in the video you make mention of putting the dough even overnight in the fridge; did you mean to do this before the first stage of fermenting the dough? I am making this recipe for the 3rd time and so far it has gotten better every time. This time I had to mix some 00 flour with bread flour (I didn't had enough 00 flour)...hopefully it will turn out all right.

[@mannadavid]

Hi Janet, thanks for your message and I'm glad to hear it's going well. You can retard the dough (put it in the fridge) at any point in the process during the first fermentation phase. I would probably give it 2 - 3 stretch and folds first then into the fridge and at least one more stretch and fold when it comes out. The retardation allows for greater water absorption, gluten development and flavour development, so well worth giving it a go. The addition of bread flour will make a marginal difference to texture although it may be more absorbant than 00 because it contains more bran. The addition bran and germ will bring a little more flavour. Best wishes David

[@imlew7853]

You gave your ciabatta much more folding and stretching like those from the USA as compared to the real Italians - from Italy not USA. Since ciabatta was born in Italy, I tried to try the authentic Italian method after baking my ciabatta like you do and the rest. One thing strikingly common among those from Italy gave their dough almost very little kneading, almost no stretching and folding. AND wallah ........ I think the less stress the dough gets, the better are the rewards, as far as my taste goes. Less exercise, less muscle for the bread.........hahaha !

[@mannadavid]

indeed!

[@gregharris128]

Great recipe! It’s my new go-to👍

[@mannadavid]

Thanks Greg - that's really great to know. Happy Baking! David and Holly

[@leemotz2241]

Manna from Devon Wood Fired Cooking School where is the recipe?

[@mannadavid]

@@leemotz2241 Sorry to take so long to get back to you - the recipe is on our blog here - www.mannafromdevon.com/woodfired/ciabatta-from-the-wood-fired-oven/

[@toux7964]

The bread looks great. Does the oven heat up the room alot?

[@mannadavid]

Hi Toux. Thanks for your comment. The short answer is not a great deal. This type of oven is all about efficiently retaining heat/energy inside the oven and not losing it to the surrounding space. Of couse some heat escapes through the door when the oven is heating up and the door is open so it's very nice to work near the oven when the weather is cooler. Hope that helps. Happy cooking! David

[@suchhero1281]

Watched the entire thing, so much information and thanks for sharing. I did have one question regarding oven temperature - I have a Ooni Pro but I'm not all that confident the temp will maintain like your much more impressive looking oven. Would that make it a 'no go' or would there be any work around?

[@mannadavid]

It's a bit tricky to cook breads in the Ooni but we have used a successful technique. The bread (also works with desserts) has to be covered allowing you to keep the general heat high enough without buring the top. We use a 9" square foil tray with a foil lid. Line the tray with parchment paper and put the ciabatta into the tray. Put the lid on the tray. make sure the floor is above 250c but no more than 300c. With a moderate flame bake the bread, turning every 3 - 4 minutes. Bake for about 12 minutes then take a look. If the bread is almost done bake without the lid for a futher 3 - 4 minutes to colour and crisp the crust. A little bit fiddly but it works.

[@pauldmata629]

How to I find recipe.?

[@mannadavid]

thanks for your question - there is a link to the recipe here www.mannafromdevon.com/woodfired/ciabatta-from-the-wood-fired-oven/

[@melapplex]

Great video. Whilst you said 85% hydration I don’t think you said how much flour. Also the oven temperature was Celsius I guess but you didn’t say. Thanks

[@mannadavid]

HI there - the recipe we use is on the blog post; we kept it at 1kg flour but more info on the link below. Also if you work in percentages then it's easy to scale up and down. We always work in C but David does forget to say. Hope that helps and happy cooking! www.mannafromdevon.com/woodfired/ciabatta-from-the-wood-fired-oven/

[@andrewm4606]

Great Video, thank you so much. Came out great, except I burnt the onions while trying to make the crispy onion and they taste a bit charcoaly! My oven is a bit smaller and I had to do them in two batches, is there anyway to retain heat aside from rebuilding the fire? Once again, thanks for taking the time to do this. This was the first thing I've ever baked and it came out delicious!

[@mannadavid]

Hi Andrew, thanks for your comment. Heat retention depends on a number of factors all of which you might consider to improve your own heat retention. Mass: the amount of thermal mass is obviously a key factor. A larger oven is able to store more heat than a small one. Once an oven is in situ changing the mass is pretty difficult although sitting more refractory bricks/tiles inside the oven is possible. Insulation: Once you've put heat into the mass, keeping it there with insulation is key factor number 2. If the outside of your oven is getting hot then your insulation is inefficient and can be improved by adding extra layers. Insulation below the oven is also important. Lack of insulation under the floor is more difficult to fix but may be achieved by hoisting an oven and putting fibre board underneath it. Moisture: often overlooked but the amount of moisture in the oven really affects the ability of the oven to absorb and retain heat. An outdoor oven which isn't in very regular use will absorb moisture from ambient moisture in the air as well as from rain. Damp refractory is slow to absorb heat. Wet insulation is inefficient. Keeping an oven out of the weather and using it regularly are the best ways to keep it dry and at peak efficiency. Energy In: if your oven is fully heated with equal temperature from inside to the outside then it is saturated with heat. If it is only partially heated then the outside of the oven will continue to draw heat from the inside after the fire is removed and the oven will cool relatively quickly. It is difficult to know for sure how long and how much fuel it takes to fully saturate your oven but if your oven cools quickly it may be a sign that it wasn't saturated. Ambient conditions: An oven open to cold air and windy conditions will cool more rapidly. Cover/windbreaks will improve performance especially during colder months of the year. Hope that helps - best wishes, David

[@sherrycotrona4464]

Do you have to cut it? Can you make it round in shape and bake the whole things?

[@mannadavid]

Hello Sherry, the big holes cannot open up if there is too much weight so cutting them gives them less weight and helps make them super light and airy. To bake one large one flatten it out like a foccacia but it may not have the airiness of the smaller ciabattas. Hope that helps - best wishes, David

[@tp8126]

bit of a close up on the bread would've been nice after you cut it. crap on for 20 minutes and spend 2 seconds on the result.

[@GregoryPearson-u7b]

Do we have the recipe ingredients in Grams.

[@mannadavid]

there is a link in the paragraph above to the recipe on our blog but if you can't see it, try this - www.mannafromdevon.com/woodfired/ciabatta-from-the-wood-fired-oven/ Best wishes and happy cooking