Description
An easy, authentic Italian ciabatta bread recipe with a perfectly crisp crust, light airy crumb, and bakery-quality flavor — all from your home kitchen.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2.25 tsp active dry yeast
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 cups warm water (105–115°F/40–46°C)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk warm water and yeast. Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy.
- Add flour and salt directly to the bowl, then drizzle in olive oil. Mix until a wet, shaggy dough forms.
- Cover and let rest 1–2 hours at room temperature, or refrigerate 12–24 hours for deeper flavor.
- Generously flour your work surface and gently turn out the dough, preserving air bubbles.
- Pat lightly into a rectangle about 1 inch thick and divide if desired into smaller loaves.
- Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet and proof 30–60 minutes while preheating oven to 450°F (230°C).
- Slide parchment onto preheated baking stone or sheet. Add 1 cup hot water to a pan on the oven bottom for steam.
- Bake 20–25 minutes until golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool at least 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Use minimal handling and avoid adding extra flour — stickiness is key to ciabatta’s airy texture. For best flavor, refrigerate overnight for slow fermentation.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 245
- Sugar: 0.5g
- Sodium: 585mg
- Fat: 3.5g
- Saturated Fat: 0.5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 2g
- Protein: 7g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: ciabatta bread, Italian bread, artisan bread, homemade ciabatta, crispy crust