Learn how to make homemade ciabatta bread with this thorough step-by-step recipe as your guide. Rustic-looking and flavorful, with a flour-dusted crusty exterior and extra-chewy interior pockmarked by air bubbles, this classic Italian-style bread is made from just 4 ingredients: flour, yeast, water, and salt. Making this bread is a 2-day process, but the first step on day one takes just 5 minutes.
One reader, Joanne, commented: “I can’t believe I made ciabatta!! I don’t think I’ve made yeasted bread before and this came out great! As always, Sally, your excellent detailed instructions made it manageable and successful. My rolls came out crusty on the outside and soft but chewy on the inside with plenty of air pockets. The house smelled wonderful and the rolls were delicious! โ โ โ โ โ “
Ciabatta is a uniquely crusty, chewy bread that’s perfect for dipping in olive oil or homemade Italian dressing or soaking up soup or sauce. Today I’m showing you how to make both ciabatta bread AND ciabatta rolls, both from the same dough. The rolls, when sliced horizontally, make a perfect base for a hearty sandwich or panini. Tuna melt, BLT, caprese pesto chicken burger, eggs and avocado, you name itโit’s a sturdy sandwich roll that stands up to it all.
Bonus: As it stales, day-old ciabatta makes for delicious crostini, or a fantastic breakfast casserole or strata. (I used it in our Christmas brunch sausage & egg casserole!) Fresh or 1-day-old ciabatta bread is also perfect for making homemade garlic bread or homemade croutons.
What Is Ciabatta?
Ciabatta (pronounced chuh-bah-tuh) is the Italian word for slipper, and this type of bread was given its moniker in reference to its characteristic flat, broad, elongated shape. A rustic Italian white bread similar to my homemade artisan bread, ciabatta dough is made from the simplest of ingredients: flour, water, salt, and yeast.
The key difference between today’s recipe and my artisan bread lies in the ciabatta’s enhanced flavor, crispier crust, and irresistibly airy interior. These three standout qualities are achieved through extended fermentation and a precise series of dough-folding steps between rests.
If you’re looking for something easier, start with my artisan bread!
Ciabatta Bread Success Tips
Between developing, testing, and photographing this recipe, there have been at least 15 batches of ciabatta bread going through my kitchen the past few months. I’ve learned a lot through the process and I’m thrilled to share it all with you… both the wins and the fails.
This is not a true ciabatta recipe, meaning we aren’t making it using the *exact traditional method* you would learn in a bread class at an Italian culinary school. But this slightly simplified method yields results that are pretty darn close.
Overall, today’s recipe is a good introduction to making preferment breads, and a home baking project that you’ll feel proud to accomplish.
Before we get started, I want to call out two key aspects of making ciabatta bread from scratch:
- Make a preferment the day before. The first step is to make a preferment (aka biga)โa simple mixture of flour, water, and a pinch of yeast, which needs to sit overnight before using in the ciabatta dough. The biga assists in both flavor and structure. It helps strengthen the gluten, making for a chewier texture, and provides a more complex flavor as well.
- Expect an extra-sticky dough. This type of bread uses a high hydration (aka very wet) dough, typically at least 80% hydration. The higher the hydration (and the longer you let the dough rest), the more flexible the gluten becomes, and the chewier the final bread will be. Because it’s so wet and sticky, this dough is impossible to knead by hand, and instead requires a gentle “stretch and fold” method for building strength in the dough. Pay attention to the wording in the instructions; at times I instruct you to handle the dough with oiled hands or tools, and at other times with generously floured hands or tools. These specific directions are there to help make this sticky, highly hydrated dough easier to work with.
Helpful Tools for Making Ciabatta Bread
- Kitchen Scale: If you have one, use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients by weight (in grams). You want to avoid adding too much flour to this doughโthe wetter and stickier it is, the better. Measuring by weight is most accurate, and will put you on the path to homemade ciabatta success. If you don’t have a scale, make sure to use the spoon & level method rather than scooping the flour out of the container with the measuring cup.
- Bench Scraper: With this sticky dough, a bench scraper is basically an extension of your hands. It helps you shape and neatly straighten the dough, without your fingers getting covered in slick, wet dough.
- Instant-Read Thermometer: An instant-read thermometer is also helpful to use here. Both for checking the water temperature before mixing it with the other ingredients, and to check the baked rolls for doneness. While not required, a thermometer simply takes away the guesswork.
And if youโre new to yeast, reference my Baking with Yeast Guide for answers to common yeast FAQs.
Only 4 Ingredients in the Dough
The crustier and chewier the bread, the less fat in the doughโalso known as a “lean dough.” We’re using a lean dough for these ciabatta rolls today.
- Bread Flour:ย While you can use all-purpose flour in this recipe, I strongly recommend using bread flour. Just like when we make olive bread, pizza bread, and asiago-crusted skillet bread, bread flour produces a stronger, chewier crumb, and that makes a big difference in a recipe with only 3 other ingredients.
- Instant or Active-Dry Yeast: You can use either (see recipe Note below). Take note that you will not use an entire standard packet of yeast.
- Salt: You just canโt make good bread without saltโit’s essential for flavor. Regular table salt is what you need for this recipe.
- Water: Some yeasted bread recipes, like my soft dinner rolls, call for warm liquid because it helps the yeast work faster. On the other end of the spectrum, bread recipes with a long rest time, like this no-knead honey oat bread, call for cool or room-temperature water. The cooler the water, the longer the dough takes to rise and, usually, the better the bread’s flavor. (This is important because there are so few ingredients to add substantial flavor!) In this recipe, we’re using BOTH. You’ll use cool or room-temperature water in the biga, or preferment, on day 1; then you’ll use warm water in the dough on day 2, to increase and speed up the yeast’s activity.
- Olive Oil: While not in the dough itself, olive oil is helpful for coating your hands or spatula during the stretch-and-fold process, preventing sticking and making handling the dough much easier.
Plus, an invisible ingredient: time. Time is the superior flavor enhancer. The preferment, allowing the dough to rest between stretches and folds, and finally proofing the dough after shaping all work together to develop flavor.
Overview: How to Make Ciabatta Bread & Ciabatta Rolls
It may seem like a long process, but keep in mind that most of the time is hands-off, while the dough rests.
Day 1:
- Mix together the preferment. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 8โ24 hours.
Day 2:
- Dissolve yeast in water. Add the preferment, flour, and salt. Mix to form a sticky, uniform dough. I usually do this by hand with a silicone spatula, but you can use a stand mixer and dough hook attachment. Do not use a handheld mixerโthe sticky dough would get caught in the beaters.
- Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold the dough.
- Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold the dough.
- Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold the dough.
- Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
- Stretch and fold the dough for the 4th and final time.
- Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
- Shape the rolls.
- Cover and let rest for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven.
- Bake.
How to Stretch & Fold Sticky Dough
After you make the dough with the preferment/biga, let it rest for 30 minutes to help relax the gluten.
Have a little bowl of olive oil on hand. Lightly grease your hand or a silicone spatula with the oil. Using your greased hand or spatula, lift up one side of the dough and gently stretch it up and pull it toward the opposite side of the bowl, folding it down over the dough. I like to visualize a clock on top of the dough for this. You’ll be folding it at the 12 o’clock mark and pulling it down over the 6 o’clock mark. Then, turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this until you’ve gone around the bowl twice, for a total of 8 folds.
The stretch-and-fold method is similar to kneading dough but much gentler and more precise; it’s designed to handle the dough’s stickiness without overworking it.
After each stretch and fold, let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Repeat this process three more times, resting 30 minutes between each. With each round, you’re gradually building the dough’s strength and structure!
After the 4th round, refrigerate the dough for an hour and up to 1 day. Yes, you can stretch this process over 3 days if you want. I always appreciate a flexible baking recipe!
How to Shape Ciabatta Bread & Rolls
Generously flour your counter/work surface. Using lightly oiled hands or a lightly oiled spatula, gently scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured surface. Sprinkle flour all over the top, then gently pat into a 10×7-inch rectangle, or anywhere close to that size.
With a floured bench scraper, cut in half down the center, and then cut each into 4 rectangles.
OR, for two loaves, cut in half once, horizontally, to make two 5×7-inch rectangles. (Or once vertically for two 10×3.5-inch loaves.)
With floured hands and using a floured bench scraper to assist, carefully transfer to parchment paper. Reshape the rolls/loaves as needed, but don’t go nuts over this. It’s totally fine if the shapes are all a little wonky and unevenโciabatta bread is meant to look rustic!
Final nap before baking: Lightly flour the tops of the ciabatta rolls and then cover them with a clean kitchen towel. Let the rolls rest for 1 hour at room temperature.
For a Crispy Crust, Bake With Steam
Meanwhile, place a flat cookie sheet or a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of your oven. Preheat to 450ยฐF (232ยฐC). You want your oven and baking surface to be heating for about an hour before the bread goes in.
When ready to bake, scatter several cups of ice cubes in a large shallow metal roasting pan, cast-iron skillet, or rimmed baking sheet. Why? You want to create steam in your oven. A humid, steamy environment is crucial for ciabatta to develop its signature golden-crisp crust. It also keeps the dough’s surface moist in the first few minutes of baking, which allows it to expand without cracking.
Uncover the rolls and lightly spray or flick them with a little water. Why? More steamy moisture. See above.
Working quickly, carefully pull out the oven rack with the preheated baking sheet and slide the parchment paper and proofed bread onto it. Slide the pan with the ice cubes onto the bottom oven rack and quickly close the oven door, trapping the steam from the melting ice inside.
Finally, your bread is baking. It will take about 20 to 22 minutes, or up to 25 minutes for a deeper golden color. All ovens are different, so use an instant-read thermometer if you have one to check the internal temperature of the bread. You’re looking for around 205ยฐF (96ยฐC) to 210ยฐF (99ยฐC).
Final Success Tip
To ensure the interior sets properly, cool the bread or rolls for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving. Cutting too early will leave you with a gummy texture.
Fresh or dried herbs are best for flavoring this ciabatta dough. My favorite is fresh or dried rosemary with a little garlic. When adding the salt in step 2 below, add 2 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried, plus 2 minced garlic cloves. Feel free to replace the rosemary with another herb.
If you want to bake your bread/rolls on a pizza stone, preheat the pizza stone in the oven. In step 10 below, place the shaped and scored dough on your preheated pizza stone. Bake as directed.
Yes. Generously grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with olive oil. After completing step 5 below, pour the dough into the greased pan. Flip to coat all sides in the oil. Stretch and flatten the dough to fit the pan. Don’t tear the dough. If it’s shrinking, cover it with a clean towel and let it rest for 5โ10 minutes before continuing. This lets the gluten settle and it’s much easier to shape after that. Continue with step 7 in my focaccia recipe.
To rely only on a sourdough starter and not yeast, I recommend looking for a sourdough ciabatta bread recipe. To combine your active sourdough starter with yeast, however, you can simply replace some flour and water with sourdough starter. Prepare the biga below as instructed, then on day 2/in step 2 below, replace 50g each water and flour with 100g of sourdough starter. Proceed with the recipe.
Homemade Ciabatta Bread
- Prep Time: 13 hours (includes rests & rises)
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 14 hours, 10 minutes (includes cooling)
- Yield: 8 rolls or 2 flat loaves
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Description
Rustic-looking and flavorful, with a flour-streaked crusty exterior and extra-chewy interior pockmarked by air bubbles, this classic Italian-style bread is made from just 4 ingredients. Making these ciabatta rolls is a 2-day process. For best success, I strongly recommend reading through the recipe before you get started. Do not be shy with the flour when flouring the work surface and your hands. Use as much as you need to handle the dough. If you have one, use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients by weight (in grams). With this sticky dough, a bench scraper is basically an extension of your hands. It helps you shape and neatly straighten the dough.
Ingredients
Biga/Preferment
- 1 cup (130g) bread flour (I use this),ย spooned & leveled
- 1/8 teaspoon active-dry or instant yeast
- 1/2 cup (120g/ml) room-temperature water (about 70ยฐF (21ยฐC))
Ciabatta Rolls
- 1 teaspoon (3g) active-dry or instant yeast
- 1 cup (240g/ml) warm water (about 100โ110ยฐF (38ยฐโ43ยฐC))
- 2 and 1/2 cups (325g) bread flour (spooned & leveled), plus more as needed
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoons (8g) table salt
- olive oil, as needed for coating hands and spatula
Instructions
- Day 1: Make the biga/preferment: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the bread flour and yeast. Add the water and mix with a silicone spatula until combined. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 8โ24 hours.
- Day 2: Make the dough: Uncover the bowl with the biga. In a separate large mixing bowl, or the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment (do not use a handheld mixer for this), whisk together the yeast and warm water. Cover and let sit for 5 to 10 minutes until the yeast has dissolved. Add the biga, flour, and salt. Gently mix together with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, or using the dough hook on medium speed. The dough will seem dry and shaggy at first, but keep working it until all the flour is moistened and the dough is uniform in texture (no dry pockets). If needed, lightly grease your hands with olive oil and gently knead the ingredients together in the bowl. The dough will be wet and sticky; that’s normal, expected, and encouraged.
- 1st rest: Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.ย
- 1st stretch-and-fold: Visualize a clock on top of your dough. You’ll be folding it at the 12 o’clock mark. With an olive oil-greased spatula or lightly oiled hands, lift up the dough at 12 o’clock and gently stretch it up and pull it toward the opposite side of the bowl (6 o’clock), folding it down over the dough. Turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this until you’ve gone around the bowl twice, for a total of 8 folds. Cover the bowl and let rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.ย
- Remaining stretch-and-folds: Repeat step 4 three more times, allowing the dough to rest for 30 minutes between each. After the 4th stretch-and-fold, cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 24 hours.
- Shape the rolls/bread: Very generously flour your counter or work surface. Using lightly oiled hands or a lightly oiled spatula, gently scrape the dough out of the bowl and onto the floured surface. Generously sprinkle flour on top of the dough. Using floured hands, gently stretch and shape the dough into a rough rectangle shape, about 10×7 inches in size. For 8 rolls: With a floured bench scraper, cut the dough into 8 pieces roughly equal in size, each around 2.5×3.5 inches (doesn’t need to be perfect). For 2 loaves: With a floured bench scraper, cut the dough in half to make two 5×7-inch (or 10×3.5-inch) rectangles.
- Lightly flour a piece of parchment paper. With floured hands, and using the floured bench scraper to help, lift the sticky dough pieces up and transfer them to the floured parchment, arranging them at least 2 inches apart to make room for expanding. Take care to be extra gentle because you don’t want to deflate the dough. If the pieces of dough lost shape during the transfer, gently reshape into rectangles. (It’s fine if they aren’t perfectโciabatta bread is meant to look rustic!)
- Proof Before Baking: Lightly sprinkle flour over the rolls, and then gently cover them with a clean kitchen towel or piece of parchment paper. Let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Meanwhile,ย position one oven rack in the very bottom position and another rack in the center/middle position. Place a flat cookie sheet or a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack. Preheat the oven to 450ยฐF (232ยฐC). You want your oven and baking surface to be heating for about an hour before the bread goes in.
- When ready to bake, scatter several cups of ice cubes in a large shallow metal roasting pan, cast-iron skillet, or rimmed baking sheet (do not use glass). Uncover the rolls and lightly spray or flick them with a little water. (This is optional, but it helps create even more steam, which promises a crispier crust.) Working quickly, carefully remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven and slide the parchment paper and proofed bread onto it. Place back in the oven. Slide the pan with the ice cubes onto the bottom oven rack and quickly close the oven door, trapping the steam from the melting ice inside.
- Bake for 20โ22 minutes, or until the bread/rolls are golden brown. I usually extend this time to 25 minutes, for a deeper golden color. Gently tap the breadโif they sound hollow, they’re done. For a more accurate test of doneness, the bread is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted in the bread reads 205ยฐF (96ยฐC) to 210ยฐF (99ยฐC).
- Remove the rolls from the oven and allow to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing and serving. If you cut into the bread too early, it will likely have a gummy texture.
- Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions: There are many ways to make this dough ahead of time. First, in step 1, the biga can sit for up to 24 hours. Second, in step 5, after you have completed all of the stretch-and-folds, the dough can sit in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours. You can also bake the bread, allow it to cool, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Kitchen Scale | Glass Mixing Bowls | Stand Mixer |ย Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Bench Scraper | Baking Sheets | Instant-Read Thermometer | Cooling Rack
- Flour: For absolute best flavor and chewy texture, I strongly recommend using bread flour. You can use a 1:1 substitution of all-purpose flour in a pinch with no other changes to the recipe, however the dough may not be as strong, and may not hold shape very well. Do not use whole-wheat flour in this dough.
- Yeast: You can use instant or active dry yeast, but I highly recommend an instant (aka “rapid rise” or “quick rise” yeast). If using active dry yeast, there are no changes needed to the recipe.
- Adding Herbs/Flavors: Fresh or dried herbs are best for flavoring this dough. My favorite is fresh or dried rosemary with a little garlic. When adding the salt in step 2, add 2 and 1/2 teaspoons fresh chopped rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried, plus 2 minced garlic cloves. Feel free to replace the rosemary with another herb, and/or leave out the garlic.
- Can I Bake on a Pizza Stone? Yes. If you want to bake your bread/rolls on a pizza stone, place the pizza stone in the preheating oven for 1 hour. In step 10, place the shaped dough on your preheated pizza stone. Bake as directed.
- Can I Use This Dough for Focaccia? Yes. Generously grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with olive oil. After completing step 5, pour the dough into the greased pan. Flip to coat all sides in the oil. Stretch and flatten the dough to fit the pan, being careful to avoid tearing the dough. If it’s shrinking back as you try to stretch it out, cover with a clean towel and let it rest for 5โ10 minutes before continuing. This lets the gluten settle and it’s much easier to shape after that. Continue with step 7 in my focaccia recipe.
- Can I Use a Sourdough Starter for This Recipe? To rely only on a sourdough starter and not yeast, I recommend looking for a specific sourdough ciabatta bread recipe. To combine your active sourdough starter with yeast, however, you can simply replace some flour and water with sourdough starter. Prepare the biga below as instructed, then on day 2/in step 2, replace 50g each water and flour with 100g of sourdough starter. Proceed with the recipe.
- Reference myย Baking with Yeast Guideย for answers to common yeast FAQs.
- Method and recipe adapted from King Arthur Baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 roll
- Calories: 233
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 437.5 mg
- Fat: 2.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 43.7 g
- Protein: 7.4 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg
Reader Comments and Reviews
I am new to baking bread and didn’t read the recipe properly. I have 3g yeast,
1 cup warm water and
2 and 1/2 cups (325g) bread flour mixed and resting on the bench for the past 12 hours. Any way I can rescue this without starting over?
I’m not a super confident bread maker, and thought every step of the way that it wouldn’t work. But…these rolls came out delicious! Thank you for a fun and fantastic recipe.
I have made this recipe 2 times, loved it. Can it be doubled or tripled?
Hi Susan! We recommend making separate batches instead of doubling for best results. So glad you love it!
I bake a lot of bread and I tried quite a few recipes for Ciabatta. This is by far the best! It is worth making the biga and Sally’s instructions for the folding process are spot on. It takes time but it is not labor intensive. I baked it on my baking stone and it developed a perfect crust.
This is delicious. I will make it again! I used 4 cups of flour (and 2 tsp of yeast) so I could make a dozen rolls. They turned out perfect! Thank you for sharing this!
Your recipe states table salt.
I would encourage bakers to use Diamond Crystal Kosher salt, or a natural sea salt rather than table salt.
In fact, iodized table salt, has been banned from my house except to use as a weed deterrent in the garden.
Idolized salt can add a bitter flavor to any baked good, or any food.
Can this be made with a gluten-free flour mix, or is gluten necessary for the process to work?
Hi Barb, we havenโt tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but some readers have reported having success with a 1:1 GF flour. If you try it, please report back!
Hi, can I bake this as one large loaf?
Hi Ryan, You can definitely skip cutting the dough, and make 1 big loaf. The bake time will likely be a few minutes longer. Same oven temperature.
Awesome, thank you so much!!
Is it okay if I parbake it with this recepie? Or have you done it? Any tips?
I mean if I take ciabata out from freezer i like to but it oven to warm up.
Hi Sander, see our Make Ahead & Freezing Instructions in the recipe Notes – you can certainly bake this bread and freeze, and then reheat in the oven. We’d recommend thaw at room temperature before warming in the oven and serving.
Best bread I ever baked, and almost the best I’ve ever eaten. Lighter and softer than the ciabatta from the grocery store, this was just so good in taste and texture. Family loved it. Technique is easy. Timing is the hard part of this recipe. I made a chart working backward from the 6 PM dinner time, to 5 PM out of the oven, to 4:30 in the oven, etc, through all the stages. I started about seven hours before dinner time on the main part. (Biagi the day before, obviously.) And it kept me tied close to home as every 30-60 minutes I needed to complete another step. But so worth it.
This was my first time making ciabatta and I never leave reviews, but this recipe warranted one! AMAZING! It does take patience to make, but its so worth the time and effort. Thank you so much for this recipe. I’ll be using this one moving forward.
Thank you for the recipes but I would like to know where do I find malto in america, and at what point in the ciabatta recipes do I add the malto? thank you
Hi Onorina, we haven’t tested this recipe using malto, and it may be best to find a recipe that was specifically written to include it. Let us know if you do any experimenting!
Is it okay if I leave the biga on the counter longer than 24 hours?
Hi Camille, we donโt recommend letting the biga sit for more than 24 hours.
Can I double or triple this recipe for a big batch?
Hi Sally, I have recently started grinding wheat berries for fresh wheat flour when I bake my bread. Can I use fresh ground wheat flour in this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Penny, we haven’t tested the recipe with fresh-ground wheat flour, but wouldn’t recommend it for this particular recipe because it would be too dense and heavy for this bread. That said, if you want to try it, you could try subbing just half of the flour for your wheat flour, and see how it goes.
Hi Sally, I’ve used this recipe multiple times and it’s turned out great! The only thing is I’ve never been able to get all the air pockets in the bread. Do you have any suggestions?
Hi Rueben, we’re so glad you’re enjoying the ciabatta bread! A lack of air pockets is usually the result of overworking the dough, especially during the stretch-and-fold and shaping processes. You can reshape the rolls/loaves as needed, but donโt go nuts over this. Itโs totally fine if the shapes are all a little wonky and unevenโciabatta bread is meant to look rustic and this will help keep the air pockets in tact. Hope this helps for your next batch!
I made these and they turned out wonderful. I love the process.
Absolutely delicious! I was skeptical at first if there would be much of a difference between this recipe and the one day recipe Iโd used in the past but was blown away! the smell when they came out of the oven was divine like I was actually in a bakery and the flavor difference, wow! this is definitely the recipe I will be using for now on – thank you for sharing!
Do you have a sourdough recipe& starter instructions? Iโm newly venturing into sourdough bread but would love to see a guide from you Iโve been using your recipes for anything I make at home the absolute best and I get so many complements from the recipes too
Hi Christina, we don’t have an experience with sourdough baking at this timeโso sorry!
Iโve never had any bread turn out successfully until this recipe! I always use your recipes for cakes and biscuits so thought iโd have a go with the bread and i came close to tears with the results!! So so so many failures but your recipe is so detailed my little ciabatta rolls came out perfect!!!!
I purchased a loaf of bacon and cheddar ciabatta at the store. My family loved it. And kept asking for more. So I found this recipe and added bacon and cheddar cheese with the flour and the salt. It baked perfectly. I made one big loaf. They say it tastes better than the one I bought.
We are on holiday in Italy so I thought Iโd have a go at making ciabatta! Iโm new to bread making so tackled this nervously but what a surprise! I ended up with two huge wonderful airy loaves. Such an easy recipe which produced wonderful tasty bread. If you havenโt make bread before try this! I used scales for all ingredients (including the yeast) and a temp probe to test the bread was done. My only disappointment was that when I took them out of the oven the crust was golden and crisp with a hollow sound when tapped but as they cooled the crust became soft. Any suggestions for a crusty loaf? Should I have kept it in the oven for longer?
Hi Alisa! Is it quite humid where you are? Humidity in the air will make the crust soft.
Fantastic. Followed it to a T and they came out amazing. I only let the biga sit for 12 hours, and only left it in the fridge for 1 hour. I do think it couldโve used a hint more flavor, so next time I will extend the time on both. Impeccable directions. Theyโre so soft and fluffy and delicious.
Can I use all purpose flour for this recipe?
Hi Victoria, you can use all-purpose flour in this recipe but we strongly recommend using bread flour. Bread flour produces a stronger, chewier crumb, and that makes a big difference in a recipe with only 3 other ingredients.
My go to recipe for ciabatta bread! Believe me I have made several different recipes for ciabatta but this is my favorite!