Homemade Ciabatta Bread Recipe

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.

Before we get started, I want to call out two key aspects of making ciabatta bread from scratch:

1. Make a preferment the day before. The first step is to make a preferment (aka biga)—a 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.
2. 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.

3. Only 4 Ingredients in the Dough

4. The crustier and chewier the bread, the less fat in the dough—also known as a “lean dough.” We’re using a lean dough for these ciabatta rolls today.
5. 1. Bread Flour: While you can use all-purpose flour in this recipe, I strongly recommend using bread flour. Just like when we make olive 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.
   2. 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.
   3. Salt: You just can’t make good bread without salt—it’s essential for flavor. Regular table salt is what you need for this recipe.
   4. 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.
   5. 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.

6. 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:

   1. Mix together the preferment. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 8–24 hours.

   Day 2:

1. 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 mixer—the sticky dough would get caught in the beaters.
2. Cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
3. Stretch and fold the dough.
4. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
5. Stretch and fold the dough.
6. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
7. Stretch and fold the dough.
8. Cover and let rest for 30 minutes.
9. Stretch and fold the dough for the 4th and final time.
10. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour, and up to 24 hours.
11. Shape the rolls.
12. Cover and let rest for 1 hour. Meanwhile, preheat the oven.
13. Bake.

7. 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.

8. For a Crispy Crust, Bake With Steam

9. Meanwhile, place a flat cookie sheet or a rimmed baking sheet on the center rack of your oven. Preheat to 450°F (232°C). 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 205°F (96°C) to 210°F (99°C).

10. Instructions

    1. 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 8–24 hours.
    2. 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.
    3. 1st rest: Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. 
    4. 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. 
    5. 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.
    6. 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.
    7. 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 perfect—ciabatta bread is meant to look rustic!)
    8. 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.
    9. Meanwhile, 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 450°F (232°C). You want your oven and baking surface to be heating for about an hour before the bread goes in.
    10. 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.
    11. Bake for 20–22 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 bread—if 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 205°F (96°C) to 210°F (99°C).
    12. 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.
    13. Store leftovers loosely covered at room temperature for up to 5 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
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