I didn't get tot take a picture of the crumb because I didn't slice it until right before I left for work this morning. I will tell you that all of the air pockets settled at the top and as a result the bottom half was a bit more dense. Is this because I didn't flip the dough? Or maybe I didn't degas enough? At any rate, it looks good and tastes fine (by first-loaf standards).
Any advice concerning the air pocket distribution is appreciated.
Can't comment on the crumb.
Happy baking
Certainly some bakers (Richard Bertinet for one) recommend "flipping" the ciabatta just before baking to re-distribute the air pockets. Personally, I get so few large air pockets that they don't need re-distibuting :-)
I do my ciabatta I use a well floured couche. I place tops down on couche scrunching slightly to create pretty creases. flrip on board and stretch to pan. Works great. Not sure what it does for bubbles but I get a nicer crust this way.
especially if you bake on a hot stone. I heat my stone on top of the stove and get a nice spring. Seems to even out the air pockets, too.