Italian Ciabatta Bread
In less than 4 hours, you can enjoy this bakery style, no knead Italian ciabatta bread! You don't need any special tools or bread baking pans; it's perfect for beginner bakers. You'll love the soft interior and deliciously crispy crust on this authentic bread.
Servings: 12 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup lukewarm water plus ¼ cup (60 ml) in case you need more
- 2¼ teaspoons instant dry yeast 1 package
- 2 cups all purpose flour plus more for sprinkling
- 1 tablespoon semolina flour or fine cornmeal plus more for sprinkling
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Making the Dough
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour and the semolina and stir to combine. In a large bowl add the water and stir in the salt until it dissolves. Add four tablespoons of the flour mixture to the water.
- Stir with a wooden spoon until it reaches the consistency of a thin crepe batter (The reason for this step is to ensure that the salt does not contaminate the yeast). Then add the yeast and stir until completely incorporated into the mixture.
- Add the rest of the flour mixture and mix until wet shaggy dough forms. It will be more wet than other bread doughs and should be sticky to the touch. (If the dough seems a little dry, add the ¼ cup reserved warm water only 1 tablespoon at a time.) Mix together with a fork or wooden spoon; the dough will be loose and sticky.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise for a total of 2 hours. During the two hours, you'll stretch and fold the dough (this takes about 1 minute to do) every 30 minutes. Fold 3 times total during the two hours.
Stretch and Fold
- Set a timer for every 30 minutes to remember to stretch and fold the dough. Set a bowl of water near the rising dough to wet your hands before every time you touch it (the dough is very sticky).
- After the first 30 minutes, uncover the dough. Wet your hands with water, or use a rubber spatula. Pinch the top corner of the dough (12 o'clock position) and lift it up, letting the dough stretch by lifting your hand away from the bowl.
- Fold the stretched dough back on itself (bring it to the 6 o'clock position). Turn your bowl ¼ of the way clockwise so the 12 o'clock position should now be at 3 o'clock. Repeat the same process of stretching and folding the dough onto itself 3 times total. This is a fast process that takes about 1 minute from start to finish.
- Cover with plastic wrap and repeat this whole process 2 more times every 30 minutes for a total of 3 stretch and folds.
Shaping the Dough
- After the last 30 minute rise, shape the dough instead of folding it. Flour a clean surface with 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 teaspoon of semolina. Invert the bowl upside down onto the floured surface. Do not touch the dough; it will fall out of the bowl on its own.
- Gently shape the dough with floured hands into a large rectangle. Do not press down too much on the dough; try to keep the air bubbles nice and "alive". After forming a rectangle, roll the dough into a fat, long log (like rolling cinnamon rolls). Do not press down on the dough, or the air bubbles will deflate!
- Pinch the end to seal, then divide the dough with a sharp knife or dough scraper into 3 equal parts. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 teaspoon of semolina.
- Transfer the 3 ciabatta loaves to the cookie sheet, dust the tops with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise again for 45 minutes. The ciabattas will noticeably increase in size.
Baking & Cooling
- About 30 minutes before the ciabattas are done rising, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Once they have risen sufficiently, flour your hands and very gently lift each dough and gently stretch to form a rectangular shape. Fill a 9-inch round baking pan with hot water (about 1 inch) and set it in the bottom rack of the oven.
- Place the tray of bread on the middle rack and bake for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the crust is golden and the loaves have a minimum internal temperature of 200°F.
- Cool completely on a wire rack before serving. Mangia! (Eat!)
Notes
- Ciabatta dough is very wet and sticky; don't add extra flour! The moisture is what creates the airy, open crumb.
- Don't skip the folds. This is a no-knead recipe, but you'll need to gently stretch and fold the dough a few times during the rise to build gluten strength and structure.
- Don’t deflate the dough too much when shaping; handle it gently to preserve the large air pockets for the classic open crumb of ciabatta.
- Bake in a hot oven with steam for the best rise and crust. A high baking temperature (around 450°F) ensures a crispy crust and proper oven spring. For extra crispiness, place a pan of hot water in the oven or spray the inside with water just before baking.
- Let it cool completely before cutting. This time allows the interior to set (finish cooking) and prevents a gummy texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 82kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.3g | Saturated Fat: 0.04g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.05g | Sodium: 195mg | Potassium: 30mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin C: 0.002mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 1mg
