Ciabatta is a rustic Italian bread with a thin crust and a light, airy interior filled with large alveoli. What is alveoli, you may be asking yourself? It is the large air holes that you will see in a cross section of a loaf of ciabatta and while holes may be a bad thing in some loaves of bread, these holes are welcome.
We love alveoli!
Now, traditionally, ciabatta is a two day process that includes kneading and an 8-24 hour cold proof and this method will give you the best, most alveoli filled loaf with incredible texture and flavor… but… this no-knead same day ciabatta bread recipe is a wonderful short cut version that you can start in the early afternoon and have ready for dinner.
This shortcut version is quite successful. It is so easy to bring together and if you measure the ingredients (you are going to measure them, right?), your ciabatta will turn out beautifully every single time.
Let’s get started…
Begin by measuring all of your ingredients.
Now, I realize that mentioning the need for a kitchen scale incites an immediate eye roll reaction in many people, but I treat it like insurance. If you measure your ingredients and they weigh the same as mine, your bread will turn out just like mine… or if you measured them and loved the resulting bread, you will know exactly how to recreate the same results later on.
Long story short, please measure your ingredients. I promise you’ll be glad you did.
In a large bowl, combine 425 grams of bread flour with 10 grams of salt, 3 grams of instant yeast, 50 grams of olive oil and 350 grams of warm water.
Mix until you no longer see dry ingredients unincorporated, cover the bowl and let the dough rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.
Instead of kneading this dough, we are going to stretch and fold it over onto itself several times to help evenly distribute the yeast and develop structure within the dough.
So after the initial 30 minute rest, dampen your hands with water (this will help prevent the sticky dough from sticking to them while we are folding the dough) and pull the outer edges of the dough up and fold them down into the middle of the bowl. Press the dough down a bit in the center so it stays there when you stretch the other parts of the dough.
Occasionally, the dough will actually release from the bowl when I am pulling on the outer edges and leave me holding the whole thing in hand! If this happens, take the opportunity to flip the dough over and start your stretch and folds on the other side. This process is a flexible one, so perfection is definitely not required!
Repeat this process 2 additional times for a total of 3 stretches and folds and then let the dough rest for 60 minutes.
Your schedule…
-
- 0:00 – Measure and mix the ingredients
- 0:10 – First 30 minute rest
- 0:40 – Stretch and fold followed by a 30 minute rest
- 1:10 – Stretch and fold followed by a 30 minute rest
- 1:40 – Stretch and fold followed by a 60 minute rest
- 2:40 – Shape the loaves, cover and rest for 60 minutes before baking
- 3:40 – Bake your ciabatta bread
Many bread recipes call for “punching” the air out of the proofed dough, but we are not going to do this with our ciabatta dough. Generously flour your work surface and gently flip the dough out onto it.
Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and use the side of a long knife, a pastry cutter or even flour hands to carefully shape the dough into a rectangle.
Cut the dough into your desired shapes and sizes. You can simply cut the rectangle in half leaving you with 2 long loaves. You could divide the rectangle into 6 equal portions giving you sandwich sized rolls. You could also cut them into 8 or even 12 portions for more dinner roll sized loaves.
This dough is super soft and airy, so you’ll need something thin and flat to transfer your portions onto a parchment lined baking sheet. A pastry cutter or bench scraper is perfect for this!
Leave an inch or 2 between each portion and cover them with a light, dry kitchen towel for their final 60 minute rest.
Bake your ciabatta loaves in a 425 degree oven for 20-24 minutes or until they are golden brown and sound hollow when you tap on them.
Let them rest after they are fully baked so they can cool a bit and the inner hydration can redistribute, but you can serve them warm, which is good because I have definitely burnt my mouth on freshly baked ciabatta on more then one occasion and regret nothing…
This bread of so tender and flavorful. I can’t even accurately describe how much I love it. A warm piece of ciabatta with butter is quite an experience and I want that for you.
Whether you are looking for a same day ciabatta recipe or simply want a truly fabulous bread to serve with dinner, I would love for you to give this bread a try. You are going to be so happy that you baked this bread for yourself…
No-Knead Same Day Ciabatta Bread
Ingredients
- 425 grams of bread flour
- 10 grams of salt
- 3 grams of instant yeast
- 50 grams of olive oil
- 350 grams of water, warm (about 110 degrees)
- additional bread flour for shaping the loaves
Instructions
- Weigh all of the ingredients and combine them in a large bowl
- Mix until you have a sticky dough with all of the dry ingredients fully incorporated
- Cover the bowl and let the dough rest in a warm spot for 30 minutes
- Dampen your hands then pull and fold the outer edges of the dough into the center. Cover the bowl and rest the dough for another 30 minutes
- Repeat this process 2 more times (3 in total) and then let the dough rest in a warm place for 60 minutes
- Gently transfer the dough into a generously floured surface and gently work into a rectangle shape use the side of a long knife or pastry cutter
- Use a sharp knife or pastry cutter to divide the dough into your preferred shapes or sizes
- Carefully transfer the loaves onto a parchment lined baking sheet leaving an inch or 2 between each one
- Cover the dough with a light kitchen towel and rest for 45-60 minutes
- Preheat your oven to 425°
- Bake for 20-24 minutes or until golden brown and hollow sounding
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature
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