Ciabatta Bread
Ciabatta bread is an Italian crispy, golden bread from the outside with an airy, light, and soft crumb perfect for dipping into soups and sauces. It has the perfect rustic Italian feel. Ciabatta bread is a no-knead bread, and it’s incredibly easy to make at home. You don’t need special ingredients or equipment to get that authentic Ciabatta texture and flavor.
Ciabatta bread is slightly chewy, and it’s dough is a high-hydration dough, meaning that it’s going to be wet and sticky, but that means you don’t have to do any kneading, only mixing and folding to make it!
It’s the perfect bread to serve with olive oil and balsamic vinegar or with soups and salads! With my recipe, you’ll get the perfect open-crumbed loaf of bread and that delicious chewy texture Ciabatta is known for.
If you are interested in making Italian breads, then you should try my Focaccia recipe. It is also easy to make and can be the base of Pizza or served with pasta dishes. Another bread that I love making is far from Italy, it’s the Japanese Milk Bread.
WHAT IS CIABATTA BREAD?
Ciabatta bread is an Italian-style white bread characterized by its large, airy holes and chewy texture. Ciabatta means carpet slipper in Italian and was invented by Arnaldo Cavallari in 1982.
It is made with a combination of bread flour (I have used all-purpose flour in my recipe), yeast, salt, sugar, olive oil, and water.
It’s a high-hydration bread with a wet and sticky dough to give it those characteristic airy holes.
🥘 HOMEMADE CIABATTA BREAD INGREDIENTS
All you need are some simple pantry-staple ingredients to make this delicious no knead Ciabatta bread at home. You can scroll down to the recipe card for further details and instructions.
All-purpose flour: We’ll need basic all-purpose flour to make this delicious bread recipe home. This means you don’t need to go out hunting for bread flour!
Water: You’ll also need lukewarm water to add to the bread. We’ll be mixing our yeast and sugar into it to activate the yeast perfectly.
Yeast: We’ll also need some yeast that we’ll add to the water along with sugar to activate it for our bread dough so that it rises to just the right level.
Sugar: Yeast needs some sugar to feed on to activate and so we’ll be adding white sugar to our water and yeast mixture.
🔪 HOW TO MAKE CIABATTA
Making these Ciabatta bread rolls is both easy and incredibly simple. Let’s check out the steps to make them at home.
The full instructions are in the recipe card below, but let’s look at the main steps to making this treat.
Step 1:
In a large bowl, add the warm water, yeast, sugar, and olive oil. Mix well to make sure that the yeast and sugar dissolved. Then add the flour into it and mix well with a spatula or wooden spoon. Cover it and place it in a warm place for 40 minutes.
Step 2:
Next, add salt to the dough and mix by folding the edges of the dough over the center. Do this for a minute and then cover the dough and leave it to rest for another 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, fold the edges of the dough over the center one more time using a spatula.
Step 3:
Cover a working surface with flour and flip the bowl of dough onto it, then dust the top of the dough with enough flour to prevent it from sticking to your hands.
Step 4:
Cut the dough into four equal parts. Using a scrapper, place each part on a sheet pan or a wire rack covered with parchment paper. Cover them for 40 minutes and let them proof in a warm place.
Step 5:
Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Once preheated, slowly and carefully slide the parchment paper with the four parts of dough over the middle shelf of the oven. Bake the Ciabatta for 18 or 22 minutes if you like it darker and crispier.
Place the baked Ciabatta on a wire rack to cool completely. Your delicious Ciabatta bread is ready to be served.
💭 EXPERT TIPS
- Most Ciabatta recipes call for 18 hours of proofing; this helps the bread to have more air and pockets when baked in the oven. The recipe I’m sharing is faster, and I depend on folding the dough every 40 minutes to include more air in the dough.
- I have cut the dough into four parts, but you can make two Ciabatta dinner rolls.
- For this recipe, you can use active yeast, instant, or fresh.
- I have used all-purpose flour since bread flour is not available in every house, the difference is that bread flour will give you chewier bread.
- To have more pockets in the bread, instead of 40 minutes let the dough rest for an hour before folding, and pull the dough much higher and then fold it over the center.
📖 VARIATIONS
Ciabatta rolls can be enjoyed in many different ways. Here are some delicious variations to try:
Herbs: You can add in some dried herbs to the dough when folding it to get a more rustic feel. Some great ideas include oregano, rosemary, or thyme.
Olive: You can even add some chopped olives to the dough when folding to enhance the flavor of this delicious airy, classic bread even more.
Seeds: Add some sesame or poppy seeds to the dough when folding for an extra crunchy texture.
💬 FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Yes, after the last fold, cover the ciabatta dough and place it in the refrigerator overnight. It will continue rising. In the morning, and after removing the dough from the fridge, continue with the steps in the recipe.
Ciabatta bread is different from other types of bread because it has a high-hydration dough that is wet and sticky. This helps to create large, airy holes in the finished product. It also has a chewy texture that sets it apart from other types of bread.
Toasting Ciabatta bread is a great way to bring out its flavor and texture. To toast Ciabatta bread, preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the slices of Ciabatta on a baking sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. You can also use a toaster or a skillet on the stovetop if you prefer. For a crispier texture, brush the slices with a little olive oil before toasting.
🍲 MORE BREAD RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
🌡️ STORING AND REHEATING
Room temperature: You can easily store your Ciabatta bread by wrapping it in aluminum foil or a clean kitchen towel and placing it in an airtight container. It will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. Don’t refrigerate the bread as it will dry out.
Freezer: It’s also possible to freeze your Ciabatta for up to 3 months. Simply wrap it in aluminum foil or freezer plastic wrap and place it into an airtight freezer bag.
Reheat: Let the bread thaw in the fridge overnight and then pop it onto a baking sheet in a preheated oven at 350F (175C) for 10-15 minutes or until it’s warm all the way through.
Related Recipes
- Simit Turkish Sesame Bread.
- French Olive Bread.
- Quick French Croissant.
- Homemade Plain Bread.
- Braided Sweet Milk Bread.
- Middle Eastern Pita Bread.
- Olive Garden Breadsticks.
⭐PLEASE REVIEW AND RATE
If you have tried this Ciabatta Bread recipe and liked it, please give it a 5-star rating and leave a comment below with your experience!
Easy Ciabatta Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon warm water
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon yeast
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ½ tablespoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl or a large container, add the warm water, yeast, sugar, and olive oil. Mix well to make sure that the yeast and sugar dissolved.
- Add the flour and mix well with a spatula or a wooden spoon. Cover the bowl or the container and place it in a warm place for 40 minutes.
- Add salt to the dough and mix by folding the edges of the dough over the center, do this for a minute and then cover the dough and leave it to rest for another 40 minutes.
- Uncover the container or the bowl and fold the edges of the dough over to the center using a spatula, cover the dough for 40 minutes.
- Cover the working surface with flour to prevent the sticky dough from sticking to it. Flip the bowl that has the dough over the flour on the working surface, this way you will not take out the air captured in the dough and the Ciabatta will puff beautifully in the oven.
- Dust the top of the dough with enough flour to prevent the dough from sticking to your hands.
- Next, dust your hands with flour and gently try to make a triangle shape that 1.5 inch high.
- Cut the dough to 4 equal parts. Place each part using a scrapper on a sheet pan or a wire rack that’s covered with parchment paper.
- Cover the four parts of the dough for 40 minutes in a warm place.
- Preheat the oven to 220C/430F. When the oven reaches the desired temperature, slowly and carefully slide the parchment paper with the four parts of dough over the middle shelf of the oven.
- Bake the Ciabatta for 18 or 22 minutes if you like your bread darker and crispier.
- Place the baked Ciabatta on a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
- Most no knead Ciabatta recipes calls for 18 hours of proofing, and this helps the bread
to have more air and pockets when baked in the oven. - The recipe I’m sharing is faster, and I depend on the folding of the dough every 40 minutes to include more air in the dough.
- I have cut the dough into 4 parts, but you can make two or even long Ciabatta
bread. - For this recipe, you can use active yeast, instant, or even fresh.
I have used all-purpose flour since bread flour is not available in every house, the
difference is that bread flour will give you chewier bread. - To have more pockets in the bread, instead of 40 minutes, let the dough rest for
an hour before folding and pull the dough much higher and then fold it over the
center.
