Ciabatta Bread

Name: Ciabatta Bread
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 3 h 20 min
Yield: 10 - 12 serving(s)
Ingredients: 3 3/4 c. unbleached bread flour; 3/4 c. whole wheat flour; 2 tsp. active dry yeast; 2 1/2 c. warm water (about 80º); 2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

This Italian loaf is perfect for dipping into soups and sauces!

By Hannah Klinger, ; Recipe by Sloane LaytonPublished: Mar 7, 2023

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Caitlin Bensel

Yields:

10 - 12 serving(s)

Prep Time:

5 mins

Total Time:

3 hrs 20 mins

Wow everyone at your table with homemade ciabatta bread that looks like it came out of a bakery in the Italian countryside! Ciabatta is a type of bread known for its rustic shape and chewy crust—perfect for dipping in olive oil, using for French toast, or spreading with butter and honey. You'll want to really use your hands in the beginning to mix the ingredients well and build up gluten and a very light touch towards the end to keep all the air bubbles inside the dough. The dough will need a few breaks between mixing, folding, and baking to rest and proof (what gives it a better rise and flavor), but can be easily made in one afternoon. All you need now is an Italian-style dinner and a glass of wine. "Salute!"

How do you stretch and fold dough?

Grab the dough from one side of the bowl and stretch it up as high as it will go without breaking, then fold it all the way over to the opposite side of the bowl. Turn the bowl and repeat until every side has been folded. This helps to build strength in the dough and trap air bubbles so the bread rises well and holds its shape when baked.

How long does active yeast stay active?

Active yeast in an opened jar can last for four months in the fridge or six months in the freezer. An unopened packet can keep in your pantry for up to two years. If you're not sure when yours is from, go ahead and start with new yeast (write the date on the jar or packet first).

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Ingredients

Directions

1. Step 1In a large bowl, stir together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, yeast and 2 1/4 cups of the water using a fork or your hands. Mix until a shaggy dough forms and all of the dry flour has been incorporated. Cover the bowl with a clean towel and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
2. Step 2Sprinkle the salt and pour the remaining 1/4 cup of the water over the dough. Using your hands, squeeze and knead the dough until the salt and water are all incorporated and the dough forms a ball. Cover with a clean towel and let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
3. Step 3Stretch and fold the dough over itself in the bowl four times, rotating the bowl a quarter turn with each fold and using wet hands to prevent the dough from sticking. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes. Repeat the folding process four more time times, for a total of five folds over 1 hour and 20 minutes.
4. Step 4Turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface, handling as little as possible to keep it bubbly. Dust the top of the dough heavily with flour.
5. Step 5Cut the dough in half lengthwise using a bench scraper or large knife. Gently stretch each dough piece into an about 12-by-4-inch rectangle and transfer to a parchment-lined, unrimmed baking sheet. Cover with a clean dish towel and let rise at room temperature until puffy and increased in volume, 45 minutes to 1 hour 15 minutes.
6. Step 6About 30 minutes before the dough is finished proofing, preheat the oven to 475° with a baking stone or inverted baking sheet on the center rack. Slide the parchment paper with the dough onto the preheated baking stone. Bake until the loaves are golden brown, 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer the loaves to a wire rack to cool. Serve warm or room temperature.