Ciabatta Bread
Quick answer
- Active time
- 45 min
- Waiting
- See the steps
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Arnaldo Cavallari, a baker in Veneto, created this wide, flat loaf in 1982 and named it after the Italian word for slipper.
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The dough carries so much water that it is folded in the bowl rather than kneaded, and that water becomes steam in the oven, opening large, irregular holes through a chewy crumb under a thin, crackly crust. It goes stale faster than denser loaves and is best the day it is baked: split for panini, torn and dipped in olive oil, or set beside soup to soak up broth.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, mix 350g bread flour, 4g instant yeast, and 8g salt until evenly distributed.
Add 300ml water and 15ml olive oil, then stir with a wooden spoon only until no dry flour remains.
- 2
Cover the bowl and rest the wet dough for 30 minutes.
With damp hands, lift one edge, stretch it gently, and fold it across the dough; repeat on all 4 sides every 30 minutes for 4 rounds.
- 3
After the final fold, cover again and ferment in a warm spot for about 1 hour.
Move on when the dough has more than doubled, looks jiggly, and shows many bubbles on the surface.
- 4
Dust the work surface generously with the 30g flour for dusting, then ease the dough out of the bowl.
Do not press with the palm; keep the rectangle shape with fingertips and minimal handling to protect the gas.
- 5
Divide the dough into 2 rectangles and place them on a well-floured cloth.
Proof for 30 minutes, supporting the sides with the cloth if needed so the slack dough spreads less while staying airy.
- 6
Heat the oven thoroughly to 230°C and add steam for the first 10 minutes of baking.
Continue 12-15 minutes longer until the crust is golden and crisp; cool when the loaves sound hollow when tapped.
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