Try, try again

 As I near the end of this project, I'm trying to revisit some of the formulas that didn't go so well for me the first time. Two that I've done in the past week are English muffins and ciabatta. I think my mistake with both of these was the same: too much flour added to yield too stiff of dough. I think my second attempts at both were vast improvements, but neither of them were quite there yet.

The formula for English muffins calls for 3/4 to 1 cup of milk. This time, I made sure to add the full cup of milk, and I resisted the urge to add flour during the kneading stage. The dough was pretty tacky, but still very workable. The muffins still didn't really spread on the griddle the way PR says they should. Also, we felt that they were a little large and filling. Next time I think I will make 8 muffins instead of 6 and take care to flatten them a little more when I shape them.

The formula for ciabatta calls for 6 Tbsp to 3/4 cup of water, so again I added the maximum amount. As I mixed the dough, I added another 1/4 cup of water to get it to the consistency I thought I wanted. I was much happier with the way the dough felt as I worked with it, and much more pleased with the oven spring this time around. The finished product still didn't have the large holes you look for in ciabatta bread, but it was closer. If anything, I felt like the dough could have been wetter as I worked it, and next time I think I'll add even more water.