Delicious ciabatta is a classic, delightful and rustic Italian bread that embodies the essence of traditional artisanal baking. It’s not the same as rosemary garlic bread, cheesy garlic breadsticks and dinner rolls. Also, many people love ciabatta bread because of its crispy crust and soft texture inside. This homemade ciabatta bread recipe does not require kneading and you can easily make it at home with 5 simple ingredients! Let’s learn how to make this delicious ciabatta bread for your meals with step by step photo instructions and a video.
Love bread? Check out these Chinese hot dogs, pineapple buns, custard buns, taro buns, cocktail buns, Japanese milk bread rolls and sugar donuts recipes.
What is ciabatta?
Ciabatta originated in Italy and is a traditional Italian artisanal quality bread. It is popular throughout the world because of the rustic, elongated, broad and flat bread with a golden brown, crispy crust and a soft, airy interior. Also, ciabatta in Italian literally means slipper. The name is a reference to the bread's shape because it resembles a slipper or a flattened, elongated loaf. However, it bakes in many various shapes depending how you shape them.
What makes ciabatta bread different?
Ciabatta has a thin and crisp crust. This crust provides a satisfying crunch when you bite into the bread. The interior is an irregular and open crumb structure with holes of varying sizes. This texture gives the bread a delightful chewiness and makes it perfect for soaking up sauces, olive oil or spreads.
Besides, the dough has a relatively high hydration level which means it contains a significant amount of water compared to flour. This high hydration contributes to the bread's characteristic chewiness and open crumb. In addition, the dough is usually fermented for an extended period, allowing the yeast or natural sourdough culture to develop flavor and texture. This long fermentation contributes to the bread's complex taste and airy holes.
Easy homemade ciabatta bread recipe:
This homemade ciabatta bread recipe is easy and simple. It doesn’t require kneading. Only mix the ingredients together and let the dough rise. Then, pull and fold them a few sets of time.
Personally, I like to use a Bosch bread mixer to mix the ingredients because it's not that messy. Then, put the dough into the mixing bowl, pull, fold and rest the dough at least 4 sets of time. The longer and lower temperature of fermentation, the bigger airy holes. For example, after pulling and folding 4 sets. Cover the dough with a plastic wrap and let it rise in the refrigerator overnight.
Making homemade ciabatta bread allows you to enjoy the aroma, taste and texture of this classic Italian bread right from your own kitchen. Also, it is a great choice for sandwiches as the open crumb structure holds various fillings.
Should ciabatta be hard or soft?
Ciabatta bread should have a balance between a crisp, thin crust and a soft, airy crumb. The exterior crust is firm and crisp which provides a satisfying contrast to the soft and chewy interior.
The crust can be slightly blistered and uneven which gives a rustic appearance. It should not be excessively hard, like a rock, but firm enough to provide a pleasant crunch when you bite into it.
The interior of ciabatta bread is soft, airy and open crumb structure with irregularly sized holes, which gives the bread its characteristic chewiness. The crumb should be soft, moist and slightly elastic.
How long does ciabatta dough keep in the fridge?
Bread dough can be refrigerated to slow down the fermentation process and extend its usability. It can refrigerate for 12- 24 hours. The slow fermentation in the cold helps develop flavor and texture. But, it's common to prepare the dough in the evening and bake it the next day.
What are the ingredients for ciabatta?
In this homemade ciabatta bread recipe, the ingredients are water, olive oil, salt, yeast and bread flour.
Why do you use bread flour?
Bread flour typically contains more protein, usually around 12-14%, compared to all-purpose flour which usually has around 10-12% protein. The higher protein content gives bread its structure and elasticity. Also, it helps create a stronger and more elastic gluten network. In ciabatta, it is essential to achieve the open crumb structure with irregular holes.
The strong gluten structure allows the dough to trap carbon dioxide gas produced during fermentation, resulting in the airy and chewy crumb. Besides, the higher protein content also allows it to absorb more water which is essential for ciabatta's high hydration dough. The high hydration contributes to the bread's soft, chewiness and open crumb structure. Therefore, I use bread flour in this homemade ciabatta bread recipe instead of all purpose flour.
How do you shape the ciabatta dough?
Shaping ciabatta dough is a crucial step in achieving the bread's characteristic flat and elongated shape with its distinctive open crumb structure. I usually dust some flour in parchment paper with a tray. Then, put the dough on it and divide it into half. Gently use my hands to shape it long, but do not pop the gas bubbles. After shaping the dough, let it rise for 30 minutes before baking.
Why does ciabatta bread have high hydration?
High hydration dough results in a more open and irregular crumb structure. The abundance of water creates steam during baking, which expands the dough and forms large, irregular holes in the bread. These holes are a hallmark of ciabatta and give it a chewy texture and airy interior.
Also, the high hydration level contributes to the chewiness of ciabatta. The extra water content gives the bread its characteristic and makes it enjoyable to eat and suitable for soaking up sauces and spreads. Besides, it helps create a thin and crisp crust. In addition, high hydration dough gives ciabatta its authentic taste and texture.
What do you eat ciabatta bread with?
You can dip it with olive oil, salt and some black pepper. Or make a sandwich with cranberry sauce, tomato, lettuce, chicken breast and cheese. Also, it is great to go with Hong Kong borscht soup and chicken gnocchi soup.
Cooking tips for how to make homemade ciabatta bread:
- I like to dip my hands in water before pulling and folding the dough, so it won’t stick the dough on my hands.
- Resting the dough for a long time is very important.
- Pull and fold the dough at least 4 sets of time. And, let it rest for 45 minutes each set by pulling and folding the dough.
- Don’t pop the air holes when you try to pull and fold the dough.
- If you want to make ciabatta bread within a couple hours, it's best to let the dough rest and rise the dough in the oven by warming up the oven 200 F and turning off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will speed up the time for the dough to rise. ( I normally let the dough rest and rise in a warm oven for 15-30 minutes for each set of pulling and folding.)
- From my experience, the longer you wait the bigger and more alveolar holes. It is best to make the dough at night, pull and fold a few times. Then, put them in the refrigerator for a night. In the morning, take the dough out and leave it at room temperature for an hour or warm up the oven 200 F then turn off. And, let the dough rise in the oven for 15-30 minutes before shaping and baking it.
- Spray some water ( I normally spray 6-7 times) before baking the dough.
- Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes and drop down the temperature to 400 F for another 10 minutes.
FAQs:
It is best to consume fresh ciabatta the same day. But, it can last for 2-3 days at room temperature.
Warm them up in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 350 F. Or, in a toaster, air fryer for a few minutes or microwave for a few seconds.
Instructions for how to make homemade no knead ciabatta bread:
Yeast mixture:
1.Pour 1.5 cups of warm water, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and ½ teaspoon active dry yeast into the Bosch mixer and wait for 5 minutes.
Flour mixture:
2. In the meanwhile, put 3 cups of bread flour and ½ tablespoon salt in a container. Mix them well.
Mix dough:
3. After that, turn on Bosch mixer the lowest setting #1. Pour the flour mixture into the yeast mixture. Let it mix until the dough comes together.
4. Then, take the dough out from the mixer and put it in a container covered with a plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes at room temperature. (See more at the cooking tips section.)
Work on the dough:
5. Dip some water on hands, pull and fold the dough 4 sides and rest the dough for 45 minutes at room temperature. Remember this step is very important and don't pop the air holes. Repeat this step 3 more times. At least 4 sets of pulling, folding and resting. See the video below the recipe card for details.
6. Next, dust some flour on parchment paper, put the dough on the paper. Then, dust some flour on the top of the dough. Remember don't press the dough, just pour the dough out.
Bake the dough:
7. Then, divide the dough into two and shape the dough into the shape you want. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise again for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven at 450 F. Spray some water (6-7 times) on the dough before baking it.
9. Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes, then drop the temperature to 400 F for another 10 minutes until it's golden brown.
Enjoy this delicious and esay homemade ciabatta bread recipe! Also, check out these strawberry muffins, air fryer French toast, strawberry pie, classic cheese pizza, thai chicken pizza and banana muffins recipes.
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Ciabatta Bread
Equipment
- 1 Oven
- 1 Baking sheet
Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups Water
- 2 tablespoons Extra virgin olive oil
- ½ teaspoon Active dry yeast
- 3 cups Bread flour
- ½ tablespoon Salt
Instructions
- Pour 1.5 cups of warm water, 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and ½ teaspoon active dry yeast into the Bosch mixer and wait for 5 minutes.
- In the meanwhile, put 3 cups bread flour and ½ tablespoon salt in a container. Mix them well.
- After that, turn on Bosch mixer the lowest setting #1. Pour the flour mixture into the yeast mixture. Let it mix until the dough comes together.
- Then, take the dough out from the mixer and put it in a container covered with a plastic wrap and let it rise for 45 minutes at room temperature. (See more at the cooking tips section.)
- Dip some water on hands, pull and fold the dough 4 sides and rest the dough for 45 minutes at room temperature. Remember this step is very important and don’t pop the air holes. Repeat this step 3 more times. At least 4 sets of pulling, folding and resting. See the video for details.
- Next, dust some flour on parchment paper, put the dough on the paper. Then, dust some flour on the top of the dough. Remember don’t press the dough, just pour the dough out.
- Then, divide the dough into two and shape the dough into the shape you want. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rise again for 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven at 450 F. Spray some water (6-7 times) on the dough before baking it.
- Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes, then drop the temperature to 400 F for another 10 minutes until it’s golden brown.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make ciabatta bread:
- I like to dip my hands in water before pulling and folding the dough, so it won’t stick the dough on my hands.
- Resting the dough for a long time is very important.
- Pull and fold the dough at least 4 sets of time. And, let it rest for 45 minutes each set by pulling and folding the dough.
- Don’t pop the air holes when you try to pull and fold the dough.
- If you want to make ciabatta bread within a couple hours, it's best to let the dough rest and rise the dough in the oven by warming up the oven 200 F and turning off. Then, let the dough rise in the oven, it will speed up the time for the dough to rise. ( I normally let the dough rest and rise in a warm oven for 15-30 minutes for each set of pulling and folding.)
- From my experience, the longer you wait the bigger and more alveolar holes. It is best to make the dough at night, pull and fold a few times. Then, put them in the refrigerator for a night. In the morning, take the dough out and leave it at room temperature for an hour or warm up the oven 200 F then turn off. And, let the dough rise in the oven for 15-30 minutes before shaping and baking it.
- Spray some water ( I normally spray 6-7 times) before baking the dough.
- Bake at 450 F for 10 minutes and drop down the temperature to 400 F for another 10 minutes.
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