Ciabatta Bread Recipe

Angled view of loaves of Italian ciabatta bread with sliced behind them - Hostess At Heart

5 from 18 votes

Ciabatta Bread Rolls are soft and tender but sturdy enough to hold the heartiest sandwich ingredients. It also makes breadsticks perfect for dipping in olive oil or marinara.

Prep Time 5 10

Cook Time 10

Total Time 5 20

Servings breadsticks or 4 rolls

Author Julie Menghini

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Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Poolish

2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 1/2 cups water I use filtered
1/4 tsp instant yeast

Ciabatta

3 cups unbleached bread flour
1 3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1/4 cup olive oil
9 tbsp water *add one tablespoon at a time

Instructions

Poolish

Stir ingredients together in a mixing bowl until flour is hydrated. The dough will be soft and sticky. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature 3 to 4 hours. Then refrigerate it until your ready to use it (up to 3 days).

Ciabatta dough

Remove the poolish from the refrigerator 1 hour before making the dough.
Add the flour, salt, olive oil, yeast, and *6 tablespoons of water into the bowl of an electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment. Add the poolish. Turn the mixer on low mix until the ingredients form a sticky ball. If there is still loose flour add another tablespoon of water and continue mixing (see notes).
Continue mixing for 5 to 7 minutes or as long as it takes to create a smooth, sticky ball. Switch to the dough hook for the final 2 minutes of mixing. The dough should stick to the bottom but clear the sides. You may need to add a little more flour to firm up the dough but it will still be soft and sticky.
Sprinkle the counter with flour in an 8-inch square. Using a dough scraper, transfer the sticky dough to the floured surface. Stretch the dough to form a rectangle and then use the stretch and fold resembling an envelope. Take the top third and fold toward you and then fold the left 1/3 side and fold over the center of the dough followed by the right side. Lastly, fold the top over the dough toward you.
Mist the top of the dough with oil, again dust with flour, and loosely cover with plastic wrap.
Let the dough rest for 30 minutes. Stretch and fold the dough again; mist with spray oil, dust with flour, and cover. Allow the covered dough to sit on the counter for 1-1/2 to 2 hours. It will swell but not noticeably rise or double in size.
Carefully remove the plastic wrap. Cut the dough in 4 pieces for rolls or 9 pieces for breadsticks. Shape as shown above. Mist with oil spray and dust with flour. Cover with a towel.
Proof for 45 to 60 minutes until dough has noticeably swelled.
Prepare the oven for "Hearth Baking" and then preheat the oven to 500°F.
Add the bread to the oven. Add water to the steam pan and mist the back and sides of the oven. Close the door and mist again every 30 seconds for 3 intervals. Bake the bread for 10 minutes or until browned.
Transfer the bread to a cooling rack. Bread crust will soften as it cools. I rubbed butter onto the crust while it was hot. It adds flavor and helps the crust stay soft.

Notes

This is a very sticky dough. I found using my electric stand mixer worked well.

Add enough water so the dough is smooth and sticky. In the winter it's very dry here and I may add up to 9 tablespoons.

Nutrition

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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