Ciabatta

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Fresh baked bread rolls dusted with flour on a wooden cutting board.

CIABATTA

A person cutting dough in half with a metal dough cutter on a floured wooden surface.
Four pieces of dough are rolled and sprinkled with flour on a baking sheet, with someone cutting the dough into smaller sections.
Freshly baked Italian calzones with golden crust and a light dusting of flour on a wooden cutting board.

Ingredients

  • 450 g bread flour

  • 5–7 g instant yeast (1 sachet)

  • ½ tbsp salt

  • 30 ml olive oil

  • 360 ml lukewarm water

InstruCtions

Method

  1. Mix
    Add all ingredients to a large bowl. Mix well until fully combined and smooth, making sure there are no lumps of olive oil. A spatula works best.

  2. Rest & Stretch and Fold

    • Cover and rest for 20 minutes.

    • Wet your hand, then perform 4 stretch and folds, turning the bowl after each fold.

    • Flip the dough over, fold it in half, cover, and rest for another 20 minutes.

    • Repeat the stretch and folds (4 folds each time).

    • You can do 2–3 sets total (2 is fine; 3 gives a bit more structure).

  3. Bulk Rest
    Cover and rest the dough for 1 hour.

  4. Shape

    • Line an oven dish or tray with parchment paper.

    • Lightly flour your work surface.

    • Turn the bowl upside down and let the dough fall out naturally.

    • Very gently stretch the dough into a rough rectangle, lifting from underneath and handling as little as possible to keep the air inside.

  5. Cut

    • Cut the dough down the middle, then cut each half into 4 pieces (8 total).

    • Use a dough scraper or metal spatula.

  6. Final Rest
    Place the pieces onto the prepared baking dish. Cover and rest for 20–25 minutes while preheating the oven to 220°C.
    (Optional: place an oven-safe dish of water in the oven to create steam.)

  7. Bake
    Bake for 18–22 minutes, until golden.
    The bread is done when it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

  8. Cool
    Let cool before cutting, if you can resist 😉

Enjoy D