after our most excellent ciabatta @ melisse, i thought i’d try making it. SG says 85% hydration ratio for ciabatta. i also researched what daniel leader had to say about ciabatta in local breads. biga = 2g yeast, 65g water, 100g flour. my biga was (35/66/66) – close enough. for the dough, the biga is 167g, 425g water, 10g yeast, 500g flour, 10g salt. these proportions equaled my own calculations for an 85% hydration so i’m on the right track. leaders’ basic instructions read as follows: 9-17 hrs to mix and ferment the biga; 15 minutes to knead, 3-4 hrs to ferment; 30-40 mins to proof; 25-35 minutes to bake. i didn’t really bake it according to leader’s instructions; i kept my own method to reduce the number of variables. the bread came out spongy and sour and nothing like ciabatta. it wasn’t bad, but definitely not typical “bread.” back to the drawing board… will make it leader’s way next time and see what happens.