If you’ve been here for a while, you probably know my weakness: homemade bread.
I love ciabatta for sandwiches, and since I didn’t have any at home, I decided to make some. My favorite Italian bread recipe is an 80% hydration dough, which is ideal for ciabatta, so I adapted that recipe to make a quicker version.
Quick verdict: it turned out phenomenal.
This version uses just four main ingredients, requires minimal hands-on time, and yields ten perfectly sized ciabatta rolls.
What is Ciabatta?
Bread styles and recipes vary widely, yet a single dough can be shaped and baked in many different ways. Ciabatta is an Italian artisan bread traditionally made from flour, water, yeast and salt — a lean dough. Hydration, the ratio of water weight to flour weight, is key: ciabatta is typically around 80% hydration. For example, 480 g water to 600 g flour equals 0.8, or 80%.
This recipe is based on my Italian bread dough but uses a bit more yeast and a different shaping method to create small ciabatta rolls. Expect a crisp, chewy crust with a tender, open crumb.
It’s essentially a no-knead dough that gains strength through stretch-and-folds rather than intensive kneading.
TIP: If you prefer an overnight schedule like my Italian bread, use the lower yeast amount in that recipe. This version is designed to be quicker.
Many traditional ciabatta recipes use a biga (pre-ferment). While a biga can add flavor, this quicker method produces excellent results without the extra planning.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Below are brief notes about the ingredients. Exact measurements are in the recipe card further down.
Bread baking may seem intimidating, but the process is straightforward — it just takes time for the dough to develop.
- Flour – I use bread flour for better structure. All-purpose flour will work but may yield a slightly less chewy crumb, particularly with this faster method.
- I prefer King Arthur Organic Bread Flour for its higher gluten content and better chew.
- Water – Room temperature water is fine; I usually use warm water but avoid very hot water so you don’t damage the yeast.
- Yeast – You can use instant or active dry yeast. I don’t bother activating the active dry yeast separately; I add it directly with the other ingredients and let it work during the rests.
- Salt – Fine sea salt is my choice; if using a different salt, you may want to reduce to 10 g depending on saltiness.
TIP: A digital scale is highly recommended — weighing ingredients gives more consistent results than volume measurements.
How To Make Ciabatta Bread
- Add all ingredients to a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
- Mix with a dough hook, wooden spoon, or Danish whisk just until the flour is hydrated — the dough will be shaggy and sticky.
- Cover and rest for about 30 minutes.
- Perform stretch-and-folds: wet one hand with cold water, gently stretch one side of the dough without tearing it, fold it over the dough, then rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you’ve worked all four sides. Rest ~30 minutes and repeat once more.
- Lightly oil the bowl edge to keep the dough from sticking too much.
- Cover and let the dough rise at room temperature for 1–2 hours, until it’s noticeably puffed and jiggly.
- Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface without deflating it.
- Gently stretch into a long, thin rectangle.
- Slice the rectangle lengthwise into two long strips, then cut each strip into five roughly equal pieces for a total of 10 rolls.
- Use a bench scraper to transfer each piece to a cookie sheet lined with parchment. You may need two pans depending on size.
- Cover and rest while preheating the oven to 425°F (218°C). The dough will puff a little but won’t double in this second proof.
- Bake about 15 minutes. If available, use convection for the second half of baking to encourage browning on top. Let cool completely before slicing.
What Kind of Yeast To Use
The recipe below uses instant yeast, but active dry yeast works as well. Active dry yeast is often activated by combining it with warm water and waiting about 10 minutes for foam to appear, but I’ve had success adding active dry yeast directly to the dough without a separate activation step as long as the yeast is fresh.
Kneading The Dough
This dough isn’t traditionally kneaded. Mix only until combined, then allow the dough to rest. Strength is built through two rounds of stretch-and-folds rather than prolonged kneading.
Stretch and Folds
Stretch-and-folds replace kneading for high-hydration doughs. With wet hands, gently stretch one side of the dough and fold it over itself, then rotate and repeat until all four sides have been stretched. Rest 30–60 minutes and repeat the sequence once more. Wetting your hands with cold water before each stretch helps prevent sticking.
What Temperature To Proof Dough At?
Proof at a comfortable, slightly warm temperature for a quicker rise — roughly 80–90°F (27–32°C). You can also retard the proof in the refrigerator overnight (8–12 hours) for more flavor development.
Rising and Proofing The Dough
Rising and proofing are often used interchangeably; in this method the initial rest is the rise and the final rest after shaping is the proof. With this high-hydration dough you won’t see textbook “double in size” behavior — expect a jiggly, well-expanded dough after the first rise and only a light puff during the second proof.
How To Shape Ciabatta
Use plenty of flour on the work surface and on your hands. After the first rise the dough will hold together enough to be gently stretched into a rectangle. Slice lengthwise into two strips and then cut each strip into five pieces. The shapes will be rustic; try to make the pieces similar in size for even baking.
How To Bake Ciabatta
Bake at 425°F (218°C) for about 15 minutes. If your oven runs hot on the bottom, consider using convection for part of the bake to encourage even browning. Fully baked rolls will feel light and register around 200°F (93°C) internally.
TIP: An oven thermometer is useful since oven temperatures can vary.
How To Serve Ciabatta
My favorite simple way to enjoy fresh bread is warm with European butter and flaky sea salt. These rolls are especially excellent as sandwich bread — the crust holds up well and resists sogginess, making them ideal for hearty fillings.
Sandwich ideas I like: shredded pot roast with BBQ and Swiss, BBQ chicken, turkey with mozzarella and pesto, or a deli-style mix of ham, salami, turkey, garlic butter and avocado. For best results, lightly toast the sandwich with meat and cheese before adding cold toppings.
How To Store Bread
Fresh is best, but these rolls keep well. Store at room temperature in a zip-top bag for 4–5 days. If not eaten, refrigerate for up to a week or freeze for longer storage.
I hope this guide helps you make delicious homemade ciabatta. If you try it, I’d love to hear how it went — enjoy and happy baking!
Love, B
Bread
Ciabatta Bread Recipe
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Equipment
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2 cookie pan
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1 stand mixer optional
Ingredients
- 480 mL water, room temperature
- 600 grams bread flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast, or active dry yeast
- 15 grams fine sea salt
- 28 grams avocado oil, or olive oil (softened or melted butter is fine too)
Method
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In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, flour, yeast, salt and oil (or butter).480 mL water room temperature, 600 grams bread flour spooned and leveled, 2 1/4 tsp instant yeast or active dry yeast, 15 grams fine sea salt, 28 grams avocado oil or olive oil (softened or melted butter is fine too)
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Use the hook attachment or just a wooden spoon or danish whisk to combine the ingredients just until all the flour is hydrated and the dough comes together.
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Once the dough has all come together, cover it and let it rest for 30ish minutes.
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Run your hands under cold water and with a wet hand, grab the dough on one side and stretch it out as far as you can without tearing the dough. Fold it over the rest of the dough, turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you’ve gone around all four sides.
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Rest the dough for another 30ish minutes and repeat with another series of stretch and folds.
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Drizzle a tiny bit of oil around the edge of the bowl to coat the dough so it doesn’t stick to the bowl too much.
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Cover it and let it rise at room temperature overnight – I usually do 1-2 hours depending on the temperature and humidity. The dough should grow and be pretty jiggly before proceeding.
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Very gently dump the dough onto a well floured surface, trying NOT to deflate it.
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GENTLY, stretch the dough out into a rectangle (don’t roll it out, just stretch it out).
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Slice in half long ways, like a hot dog. Then slice each half into five squares. They don’t have to be perfect squares, ciabatta is rustic but they do have to be about the same size so they bake evenly.
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Use a bench scraper to gently pick up each square and place it on the parchment lined cookie sheet. I have a very large one that just barely fits all 10 but you may need two cookie sheets.
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Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425F (218C).
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Bake for about 15 minutes, I do the second half on convection because my oven is too hot on the bottom and I want them to brown on top more.
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They should feel very light when they’re done baking or be about 200F (93C) internally. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
- You can halve the recipe if desired. For a half batch, use half the ingredients and follow the same process. If stretching into individual rolls instead of slicing longways, stretch long and skinny and cut into the number of rolls you want.