I bake Ciabatta regularly, but this was my first attempt at adding cheese. The exterior browned so quickly, that I may have pulled it out just a few minutes too early - the interior seemed to me to be just slightly underbaked.
The flavor was excellent, however, so I think it is something I want to pursue/perfect.
Any input from bakers with experience with this loaf?
TIA.
happy baking
What kind of cheese? And how / when did you add it in?
The Ciabatta recipe I use calls for a total of 3 c. flour (to give you an idea of volume of dough). To that I added 1/2 cup of grated Parmigiano Reggiano and 1/2 cup of a blend of mozzarella, provalone, asiago, parmesan, romano, fontina.
The recipe calls for two S&F in the bowl (after kneading in the biga and the initial rise), and I added the cheeses in two equal parts just before starting each S&F (just sprinkled it on the top, and then folded it in).
I got the idea from Reinhart's BBA (p. 142) where he recommends grated Parmesan, Romano, mozzarella, jack, cheddar, provalone, Swiss, and blue cheese, in any combination.
Hope that helps.
Here's a picture just before starting the first S&F: