[jyl]

It is interesting working w/ really wet bread doughs. Last ciabatta effort was >100% hydration (water mass >100% of flour mass). You can't handle this stuff, even with floured hands. All you can do it pour it from mixer bowl to rising bowl, let it rise 3 hours, then pour onto floured parchment paper in roughly the outline of the desired loaf. It sits there like a thick puddle of goo. Using a silicone spatula, you can fold the edges up over the top to sort of redistribute the bubbles, nudge the puddle into shape, then dust heavily with flour and lift the parchment paper to the sheet tray, or perforated trough if you're trying to make a baguette, and let it rise some more. When it goes into a 550F oven the dough is still pretty flat, but it oven-springs up by 2X to 3X, and you get a three-dimensional loaf rather than flatbread. I've been turning down the oven to 450F after putting the bread in, and misting heavily to get a steamy oven. The trick seems to involve baking quite a lot longer than you'd think - 40 minutes or so - until the interior temp is 215F or more - versus the usually 200-205F. That produces a chewy, firm interior and the crust is still on this side of acceptable, though it is definitely dark and thick. Not the classic light crisp French baguette, not a bread for denture wearers. A very robust-o bread with reasonably big holes.

Hey, when do we see more food from Mrs. Bill? There was talk of meatballs?