Ciabatta Bread is your authentic rustic Italian bread recipe. The crumb or the inside of the bread is open meaning that it's not dense. In fact, the interior has huge holes. You can't call the loaf beautiful, it's on the long flat side resembling a big house slipper. But what it lacks in beauty, Ciabatta bread makes up in fantastic taste. It has a wonderful chewy exterior and a soft interior that is as light as a ball of cotton. Once you taste it, you won't forget it. You'll want to search high and low to experience that marvelous taste again. But look no more! We take you each step of that way so that you can make some original ciabatta loaves for yourself.
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For this recipe, you will need: bread flour, rye flour, distilled water, instant yeast, whole wheat flour, kosher salt.
What is Ciabatta Bread?
We love baking bread, especially Ciabatta ( pronounced cha-BAH-tah) bread. This rustic Italian white bread is buttery, toasty and the nutty smell is heavenly.
The aroma is better than scented candles, much better than the most expensive perfume. The crisp-chewy crust has a slightly fried taste that holds a hole-filled soft interior.
It's quite a memorable eating experience, one you'll never forget, not that you'll want to. ????
Ciabatta bread, with its deep wheaty aroma, is the ultimate comfort food.
Now, we can't say that ciabatta, which means "slipper" in Italian, is an attractive looking bread. Nope! In fact, it's flat and shapeless. Really kind of homely.
Ciabatta Italiana the bread that saved Italy.
Francesco Favaron, a baker from Verona, in collaboration with Arnaldo Cavallari, the owner of Molini Adriesi, a large flour mill in the Polesine area, produced in 1982 the ciabatta we know of today.
This collaboration came about because Cavallari and other Italian bakers were desperate. Baguettes, imported from France, were endangering the Italian bread bakers. See, Italian sandwiches, panino, are very popular. The restaurants were turning to baguettes to make the panino and the people were loving them.
Something had to be done! They had to come up with a commercially viable bread. So, after weeks testing dough mixes, bake-times, using existing regional loaves they came up with Ciabatta Polesana.
Cavallari boasted that his Ciabatta bread had the taste of an old-fashioned bread. I agree with him. Today Molini Adriesi licenses production of its ciabatta in 11 countries.
New variations of the recipe continue to emerge, such as:
- ciabatta integrale - with wholemeal.
- ciabatta al latte - with milk.
Is Ciabatta Bread hard to make?
We can't say that ciabatta bread is easy to make as a quick bread either. Once you know the technique though, it's fun. Basically, the dough is a wet sticky mass that's a challenge to conquer.
Now don't let us scare you! Because once you do conquer that blob, the effort is so worth it, that you'll want to make it again and again.
It's taken us many years and countless cookbooks like The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart and
pounds of flour and cups of yeast a very messy apron and counter to finally learn how to make a true ciabatta bread. We're here to guide you through this.
A ciabatta bread is a flat irregular shape with traditional huge holes and a blistered, crispy crust. In the worldwide bread baking contests, many times the Ciabatta bread is featured as a bread to make as a challenge.
Well, you know me, I love a challenge!! ????
Ciabatta Bread: how to start.
Now we'd like to share what we've learned, and once you know the technique of making ciabatta bread, and tried it out, you'll see that ciabatta bread isn't that difficult to make.
Making an authentic Ciabatta bread at home is worth every minute you spent making this wonderful aromatic comfort food.
The pictures below will take you step by step on what we did as we made the Ciabatta bread.
The Method:
(1). Pre-ferment- I make this the night before in the same bowl I will make the bread. It is the consistency of pancake batter.
(2). Measure- The next day I weigh the rest of the ingredients and put them in the same bowl as the pre-ferment. I also include the regular measurements with the recipe.
(3). Mix - I mix all the ingredients together first with the regular beater and then with the dough hook.
(4). Flour -I make sure that my surface is well floured because the dough is very wet. I use a Silpat on my breadboard just because it makes clean-up easier.
(5). It's a blob! Well, it is but don't worry, it will soon take shape. It helps to have a bench knife-- it's that plastic thing you see in the picture-- oops the scraper (bench knife) was cut off.
It looks like a spatula with no handle. I sprinkle a generous amount of flour and scrape it underneath the dough and put one side over the other, folding like an envelope. It will still be loose but don't panic.
(6). Mist with spray oil and flour the top generously. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest. You will again do the stretch and fold by pulling on opposite ends and working your bench knife underneath the dough. Fold over into an envelope again, mist with spray oil, flour generously and cover again with plastic wrap. Pictures
(7) and (8) shows that the dough is starting to look more like a fat pillow.
(9) and (10) Ciabatta ready to divide - The Ciabatta is ready to divide into four pieces. In this step I'm very careful not to degas the loaves. They are very puffy and full of air.
(11) I use two bread forms lined with a couche ( a linen cloth used to aid in proofing the dough) You can use a tea towel but not terry cloth. I mist the cloths with spray oil then dust the cloth with flour.
(12) I take each piece of cut dough and fold it into an envelope -- lay it into the groove of the bread form with the folded side up.
(13).You gently cover up that ciabatta bread dough and let it rise. In the meantime, we get two baking sheets ready by sprinkling cornmeal on the back of them and then we put a piece of parchment paper that we've misted with spray oil on top of the baking sheet. The cornmeal helps us slide the bread off the baking sheet and onto the baking stone.
Once the Ciabatta bread is ready to pop into the oven-- we take each formed piece and flip it over onto the parchment paper. This means that the flap side of the dough is down. we stretch each piece by pulling gently from either end.
Then we dimple the dough gently by using my fingers to push down into the dough. I'm sorry I didn't get pictures of these two steps. If there is any confusion we'll gladly make the bread again ( big sacrifice 🙂 ) and I'll add the pictures.
(14) We slide the Ciabatta bread directly from the baking sheet onto the baking stone. If you don't have a baking stone you can bake on the sheet pan. The oven is very hot (500 F) and I mist the sides of the oven with water - 3 times at 30-second intervals. Now I turn down the oven to 450 F. It will bake for 10 minutes then give it a 180-degree turn.
(15) Once the bread is finished baking we let it cool on the cooling rack.
(16) Aren't those holes beautiful? That is exactly what I've been working towards. I wish you could smell the aroma and the taste -- well it's indescribable -- sinful and heavenly all at the same time. You could use those wonderful slices to dip in . . . .
the Easy No Cook Pizza and Dipping Sauce or use it as a scarpetta ( translates little shoe for dunking or mopping every bit of sauce) in our Pasta Carbonara.
And if you have any stale bread leftover, give it new life in this amazing Tuscan Panzanella Salad recipe. Old bread never tasted so good.
Whatever way you enjoy this bread, it will become a favorite.
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
YOU MAY NEED . . .
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Whenever we bake bread there are certain items we couldn't do without. The ones we show below are some that we use.
Ciabatta Bread: Ultimate Rustic Italian Bread Recipe Tutorial
I went into a lot of detail on the Ciabatta Bread recipe I certainly hope you didn't fall asleep mid-way. The recipe for Ciabatta Bread that follows is a combination of several recipes. Not only is Ciabatta bread delicious by itself, it is irresistible as a sandwich or bruschetta. The crust has bubbles under the crust and it almost tastes fried. The inside is light as a cloud and delicious warm with butter or olive oil. I know you and your family will love it.
If you're in a bread hurry and want to experience a boulangerie type bread, bake our 4-Hour French Baguette Recipe. And if you love a rustic Italian bread, then the Pugliese Bread recipe from the Puglia area will definitely please.
If you like this recipe, please consider giving it a five-star rating. This helps other bakers decide on whether to try a recipe or not
📖 Recipe
Ciabatta Bread - the Hole Story
Ingredients
Pre- Ferment Poolish
- 2 oz. 50 grams ( ½ cup) rye flour
- 15 ¾ oz. 450 grams ( 3 ¼ cups) high-protein white flour
- 30 oz. 850 grams ( 3 ¾ cup ) water -- I use spring or distilled water
- ½ teaspoon instant yeast
Dough - Variation 1
- The Poolish
- 4 oz. 100 grams ( ¾ cup) wholewheat "bread" flour
- 14 oz. 400 grams ( 3 cups ) high-protein (strong or bread ) white flour
Dough Variation 2 - or you can add more whole wheat by doing this variation
- The Poolish
- 7 oz. 200 grams (1 ⅔ cups) sifted wholewheat "bread" flour
- 11 oz. 300 grams ( 2 ¼ cups ) high-protein white flour
Either variation will take
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- Set up a couche which can be a cloth napkin scrap fabric, or smooth towel ( not terry). Mist the fabric with spray oil and lightly dust with flour. You can purchase the special linen proofing cloths and reuse them.
- Prepare two baking sheets by sprinkling each with corn meal and then topping with an oil misted parchment paper.
Instructions
- In the mixer's bowl, stir the Poolish ingredients to a smooth batter -- it's like a pancake batter -- and leave it AT ROOM TEMPERATURE overnight. The goo will smell strongly of sour rye and yeast by-products.
- The next day, add the dough's dry ingredients -- either variation-- to the Poolish and using the mixer's beater blade mix roughly until just hydrated. Let rest for 20 minutes.
- After the rest , run the mixer for a minute or two then switch to the dough hook and continue to knead the dough for about 5 minutes or until it is fairly smooth and shows signs of elasticity.
- Flour your counter, very generously, and scrape the very wet dough onto the flour. Dust all over with more flour and use a scraper to help you roll the dough in the flour until it's coated all over.
- Leave for 10 minutes, sprinkle more flour around the dough and use your scraper under the dough to release it from the bottom.
- With floured hands and your scraper perform a stretch and fold. It is folded in thirds like you would an envelope. Mist with spray oil then dust the dough with flour. Cover with plastic wrap.
- Leave for 10 minutes then do the same procedure as above: sprinkle with flour, loosen the dough from the bottom, flour your hands and stretch the dough out, fold into thirds and again mist with spray oil and dust with flour and cover with plastic wrap.
- You will do the stretch and fold a total of 4 times with a 10 minutes rest period in-between.
- After the last stretch and fold, leave the dough to rise for about an hour growing about 1 ½ to 2 times in size.
- Now it is time to cut the dough into 4 strips, being careful to degas them as little as possible. Shape the strips into fat loaves by stretching and folding into an envelope. Lay the loaves on the prepared cloth and bunch the cloth between the pieces to provide a wall. Mist the top of the dough with spray oil and dust the dough with more flour. Flour is your friend. Cover the cloth with a towel and proof for about 45 to 60 minutes. The loaves will increase about 1 ½ times.
- Preheat oven to 500 o as the loaves are proofing.
- Invert the loaves out of the couche and stretch to the typical Ciabatta shape by gently grasping the ends of each loaf and pulling. Place each loaf as it is stretched onto the prepared baking sheet. Gently dimple the dough down with your fingertips to even out the height of the loaf.
- Slide the dough with the parchment paper onto the baking stone (or bake directly on the sheet pan).
- Spritz water onto the side walls of the oven being careful not to spray the light. Do this 3 times at 30 second intervals. After the third time lower the oven temperature to 450 F.
- Bake for 10 minutes and rotate the loaves 180 degrees. Bake for a total of 30 minutes. The inside of the loaf should register 205 F.
- Cool on racks for at least 1 hour before eating. I am ashamed to say that I've never been able to wait the full hour.
Notes
- The loaves will feel very hard and crusty at first but will soften as they cool. You can harden them up again by putting them in the oven and heating them up.
- We freeze our Ciabatta loaves immediately after they cool. When we are ready to eat the bread we put the frozen loaf into the over, heat the oven to 300 F then turn off the oven. The bread will have the same crispy crust and a wonderful chewy inside.
- There are some Ciabatta breads made with oil and milk -- those will keep longer. But we've never had a problem with the bread going stale-- it's not around long enough.
Nutrition
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Carol Chong
Your recipe makes excellent ciabatta. I tried today for the first time, followed your recipe to the T, and yay! it was successful. Made 4 loaves with gorgeous holes.
Thank you very much for showing the way and for your generosity and kindness in sharing the recipe.
Marisa Franca
Ciao Carol!! Thank you so much for taking the time to comment!! I love baking bread and especially making ciabatta!! Have a wonderful weekend, and happy baking!! xoxo
Ana
Just tried your recipie and the chibata's came out amazing!! Crunchy, great crumb and texture. Next time I might just add a bit more salt, but other than that it is perfect.
Marisa Franca
Ciao Ana! Thank you for taking the time to comment. I'm so happy you liked the recipe -- we always have amazing results. Happy baking and Happy Holiday Season! xoxo
Toni carusi
I have made bread many times but none have turned out as good as this one ! Amazing taste ,I ate half a loaf as soon it came out of the oven could not stop eating it ! Would like to see more holes next time as this is going to be my bread recipe from now on . Just one question though I was a bit confused with the yeast and salt and when to add ? I added it to poolish ,is this correct?
Marisa Franca
Ciao Toni! I'm so glad you enjoyed the bread. It's a bit of a challenge but worth the effort!! The salt does NOT go into the poolish. It goes with whichever variation you pic the following day. Perhaps next time you'll get the holes we all love!! Let me know. Un abbraccio forte forte!
Dori
Marisa: I have dedicated this whole week to solving "the no Holes" mystery of my Ciabatta Bread. Yours is the sixth recipe and the nicest one I have used so far. The starters works real nice and is very puffy the next morning. I only added bread flour , salt and yeast. I followed your instructions to the 1 hour rest after the folding. (Is this folding done by hand each time, with the dough resting on the counter?) Then I divided the dough and placed them on the cloth to rise an hour. cover and rise another hour and then I transfered them to the stone in the oven. I have a stone, a pan of water and ice cubes .I baked at 450 degrees( my fancy new oven will not let you change the temp without turning on the broil unit. burning the bread) They rose up just beautifully ((30 minutes later still not brown) Ten minutes more still not brown but internal temp 200 degrees . Wonderful Taste, soft, delisious and No Holes. What are we all doing wrong? All the comments you have recieved are from people who loved you presentation and wanted to try it. I agree that it was great. But the few people that commented that they had made it were having a HOLE problem too. What are we doing wrong? The dough was lovely and the texture great. Could I eliminate the cloth rising by putting the bread right on the parchment and bunching the parchment up between them? Then just pull the parchment straight before baking. Can you go down through your instructions and check for even the tiniest detail that might help? I have to get this right. Thank you so much, you do good work.
Sincerely, Dori
Marisa Franca
Hi Dori, like you I've searched for what I thought was the best ciabatta recipe. I believe this is it. The secret is the wetter the dough the better. Your dough scraper is your best friend. I'll go through your questions:
1. You said you only added bread flour salt and yeast -- the poolish has rye flour in it, did you use that? And with the dough variation each one uses wholewheat bread flour, did you use that? I use King Arthur products almost exclusively - their flour works the best for me.
2. The folding is done by hand each time and the dough is on your breadboard or counter. It should be covered with plastic wrap. It should be in the directions.
3. When cutting the dough use a scraper that has been dipped in water. Be careful not to degas the dough. Those precious holes are forming.
4. You may use parchment paper as you asked and then straighten it before putting the dough in the oven.
5. Ciabatta naturally is not a brown crusted bread. If you see it in the store it's very light. As long as the temp is 200 degrees it's done.
6. Dori, you're doing great -- don't give up. It's taken me years to "get" it. You just have to get used to the very wet dough. The additional flour should be on your hands and counter/breadboard NOT added to the dough as you knead it.
Let me know how it goes -- happy baking and happy bread eating.
Mark
Hi Marisa,
I tried this, and things pretty much looked the way they did in your photos. But, the finished product was quite dense, with few holes (but it tasted OK!). Any suggestions where things might have gone sideways? Also, I found it hard to divide the dough without some de-gassing. Perhaps that was an issue, but the bread seemed to proof all right.
Thanks,
Mark
Marisa Franca
Hi Mark! It took me quite a few tries before I got the holes like I wanted. Ciabatta is not an easy bread mainly because you've got to keep that dough wet. It's almost like handling a newborn. But with the practice comes the eating -- the bread is still good. Keep your hands floured and use a dough scraper to cut the dough. Give it another go and let me know. Happy baking.
Mark
Hi Marisa,
Thanks for the reply! Is there such a thing as using too much flour during the stretch and fold and, as a result, the dough wasn’t wet enough?
Cheers,
Mark
Bernard
Marisa,
I am very curious about your dimpling the dough. What is the purpose behind the technique?
Thanks in advance.
Marisa Franca
Hello, Bernard. You dimple the dough to make sure there are no huge air holes in the middle of the bread. This way you'll have the gorgeous air holes throughout the bread. Happy baking!!
Helen
Sorry.
I figured it out. The first list of ingredients is the recipe for the pool-ish, correct? Not sure why it says dough at the bottom with a semi colon. I think I will ignore that part. I’m kind of a stickler for grammar and punctuation. A list of ingredients should be titled with the name of the thing that they are the ingredients for, in my opinion. But thanks so much for sharing your recipe and your expertise. I’m sure I will learn more for having to decipher the writing.
Marisa Franca
Sorry about the mix-up with the Poolish ingredients. It all started when I switched recipe cards. I went in and fixed it so that you know exactly what's what. I'd love to see a photo of your bread. xoxo
Donna Murphy
I tried this yesterday and followed the directions exactly. The poolish looked like it separated which didn't seem right to me but kept going. Went on to the kitchen aid step and it seemed like the mixture was waayyy too soupy (I thought is would drip off the counter) so I added more of the three types of flours until it had a little more structure. My big mistake there was I didn't add more salt to compensate. Everything else seemed to go ok. I had 4 loaves but one was flat as a board. The others were perfect with great holes with the exception of needing salt. My son in law is a chef and he was very impressed!
My question would be was I right in adding extra flour or should I have just gone with it.
thanks!
Marisa Franca
Hi, Donna! It's hard to say without seeing it. I would say you were right in making it handible. By the 3 flours I infer that you are talking out the rye in the poolish, the bread flour, and whole wheat. It would have been sufficient to use just the bread flour. Ciabatta bread is typically flat but not as a board. LOL If you got great holes in it then I believe your bread was a success. And you DID impress your SIL. I wish you'd sent me a photo! Keep at it and Happy Baking! xoxo
Mindy Fisher
What exactly is the Poolish. I’m confused and want to bake the ciabatta
Marisa Franca
Hi Mindy! A Poolish is a starter or pre-ferment something like a biga or levain only it is fairly wet. It enhances the flavor and texture of the bread. I give two variations for the Poolish. Just pick one and follow the directions. If you have any more questions - just ask and I'll get right back with you. Let me know how it works out. xoxo
William Taylor
You give the recipe formulations for the Poolish and then you say then to mix the poolish. However you say that after letting the poolish sit over night to then add the dry ingredients??? I don't see extra dry ingredients except those that make the poolish. Am i missing something? Dry ingredients the next day when they are already in the poolish?? Help!!
Marisa Franca
Hello William! I'm sorry that it sounds confusing. In the recipe card you have the directions for the poolish. Then down below you'll find 2 variations. You may use either one. That is where you'll find the amount of flour to use. One variation uses more whole wheat flour than the other. Look at the photos in the post to see if it doesn't help. If you are still in doubt, write back and I'll go over it. Let me know. Happy baking.
Jeff
Can you just use the bakers couche without the perforated pan I have the pans for baguettes but didn't think they are wide enough to accomadate the wider ciabatta loaf......need gudiance in this matter
Marisa Franca
Hi Jeff! Sure! It was just easier for me to put them in the Italian bake pans. Using the baker's couche and scrunching up the ends to keep the form of the loaf is fine. Happy baking. Let me know how the baguettes turn out.
Carrie
About to pop my ciabatta into the oven. I was wondering why you use the spritz steam method with this recipe and the hot pan method for steam with other recipes. (ie your Italian rolls).
Carrie
An extremely wet dough - 85% hydration. It was difficult to transfer from the final rise to the parchment for baking. I had to reform the loaf by doing an envelope fold once I had it on the parchment and ready for the oven. BUT .... did not have to cut into the loaf to know I had a beautiful airy loaf. You could feel the finished product and know it was a thing of beauty.
A really great recipe but probably not the best to cut your teeth on.
Marisa Franca
Hello, Carrie! I'm glad you got those gorgeous holes! It is a tricky dough but well worth the effort. I would discourage a beginner until they were used to a wet dough.
Marisa Franca
Hi, Carrie! Actually we'll use both many times. We'll have the pan in the oven and then in the beginning spritz the oven several times to get that steam (oh to have a steam oven *sigh)
Ethan
I was wondering if you are really only using 3/4 teaspoons of salt? That would be like 0.45% salt if I calculated it correctly. I am not an expert at all but I thought that salt should be closer to 1.5-2%
thanks, ethan
Marisa Franca
Hi, Ethan! Yes that is the amount I'm using. Feel free to use more if you like. I've tried several versions of Ciabatta recipes including ones from Carol Field's Italian Baker, Peter Reinhart's The Bread Baker's Apprentice, Jeffrey Hamelman's Bread, and Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Bread Bible. I was determined to master "the holes" and this recipe gave me the best result. It took me a while to even master this one because it is a very wet dough. Everyone uses a different formula. In fact, I'm sure you know that there are some Italian breads without salt.
Marisa Franca
Hi, Ethan! I'm so glad you liked the Italian Sandwich rolls. When it comes to salt? We experiment. If we like it, well we keep it. If not, we add a bit more. When we were in Italy the gentleman we rented our cottage from told us about the salt and bread in that area. Apparently salt was valuable, traded like money. The people learned to do without it because it cost too much. Thank you for your nice comments and keep in touch. We love hearing what people are cooking and baking.
Dave Meneo
Great Post!
I have been trying for many years - different recipes to get the large holes in the bread - still trying =(
I made this version yesterday and it came out good, minus the large holes - and I think next time I'll add 1/4 tsp more of salt.
When you made the poolish the directions did not state to cover it overnight, I did - should I have?
Thanks for the great recipe, I will be using this one for a while, tweaking until I get those elusive HOLES!!
Marisa Franca
Hi, Dave! Yes, you do cover the poolish. I save those cheap plastic shower caps you get in hotels (which we never use). They make perfect covers for the poolish and rising dough. Keep trying on that bread. I'd love to see a photo!! Happy baking!
Cassie R.
I may have to try our your method/recipe. I have been trying (unsuccessfully) to get those air holes in mine. It tastes good, is crispy on the outside and nice and soft on the inside, but it's not airy enough. I barely even touch the dang thing hoping that it will bake right. There's always a tiny drumroll in my head when I cut into it to see the outcome. I have a feeling this bread is going to be one of my tougher challenges in my bread adventures.
Marisa Franca
Hi, Cassie! We know how you feel. That anticipation of cutting into it and hoping. Then the letdown. But that letdown pretty much leaves after you slather some butter on that slice and nibble away. I know the holes will come. Happy First Day of Fall. It's my favorite time.
Dana
Really interesting to learn a bit of history behind this gorgeous bread! I love ciabatta, but I've never made it. When I make bread, it's a quick no-knead Dutch oven bread. It's great! But I really do want to experiment with other breads. I think I need to put ciabatta on my list. This post will surely help.
Amanda
Ciabatta is one of my favorites for dipping into oil or for making sandwiches, but I've never tried making it myself at home! What a fantastic bread making tutorial, Marisa! Those gorgeous holes in the crumb and the crispy crust are pure ciabatta perfection. Can't wait to try my hand at making a loaf!
Megan Marlowe
Your photos are gorgeous and I love the detail in the step by step. Makes it look so easy! I, for one, love ciabatta bread and can’t raid to make this. Especially for our next pasta night.
Miranda
I can appreciate how detailed this post is. After reading everything, I feel pretty confident that I can take on making ciabatta bread like a pro! I'll let you know how it turns out. 🙂
Leslie Haasch
I freaking love ciabatta. I use it for so many different things, it's hard NOT to love!
Anne Murphy
I love the detail! I never did make ciabatta in my wheat bread baking days... but I keep promising myself that when life calms down a little, I'm going to branch out into making good gluten free bread! (The commercial ones are all trying to replicate fluffy white sandwich bread, which I never did like...) I can see already how useful your suggestions for working with a very wet dough will be!
Kitty
I love this ciabatta food history! I'm not much of a bread baker but I want to be! There's something about the details and process I find calming. Hoping in the future I'll have enough time to master bread baking.
Nicole
This looks like such a lovely recipe! The best breads take time, and this one is no exception. I love that this recipe is using a pre-ferment and measures by weight! Fantastic job on this, the crumb looks exquisite, and It has inspired me to whip up some gorgeous bread at home!
Jean | DelightfulRepast.com
Marisa, your ciabatta loaves are beautiful! It's probably been more than a year since I last made ciabatta. I'll have to look up my recipe and see how it compares with yours. I've always mixed and kneaded it by hand, but I think I'll use the stand mixer next time. Thanks for the info about the origin of ciabatta--I never knew it was a "reaction" to baguettes!
Sam | Ahead of Thyme
I love ciabatta but never thought I could make it myself! This looks easy enough to follow, so excited!
lauren
I've always wanted to try making ciabatta! Making breads in the fall is my favorite. Ciabatta is so perfect for dipping oils or croutons or grilled cheese. Love all your step by step photos too!
Kristen King
I loved reading about the history and I love ciabatta bread. I think it is the most perfect bread! What a great tutorial!
Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens
I'm so inspired! First of all, I am absolutely in love with these photos - simply GORGEOUS! And I really appreciated the historical background and thorough step-by-step guide that make this post so much more than just a recipe! Absolutely walks me through everything I need to know for success - thank you for a terrific post!
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Shelley!! That is so sweet of you to say. I hope you do try the recipe. The home version is so good and the aroma. Wow it is wonderful. Have a super weekend
Julie
I love ciabatta, but I've never tried making my own. As much a I love baking, I don't do many yeast breads outside of challah and naan. I can't wait to try this!
Marisa Franca
Hi, Julie!! I do hope you try it. It is such a wonderful bread and makes a fantastic sandwich.
Lisa
Your ciabatta is a thing of beauty -- I've made yeast breads before and I admit to being very intimidated by the process, but your step-by-step photos are exactly what I need to dig in and make it happen. I'm also really intrigued by the equipment you use -- and love the tip about using a silpat for less mess! Genius!
Marisa Franca
Hi, Lisa! Silpat is amazing. Some of it you can bake on -- we use parchment paper-- and some is just non-stick. Ours I think is both but I love the Silpat for wet doughs.
Carmy
Thank you for this step by step tutorial! I've tried it before (without the help of these photos!!!) and they came out... not very air-y or you know... hole-y. It was very disappointing! With your step by step tutorial/photos, I can see where I went wrong! I'll be trying again with this wonderful recipe!
Marisa Franca
When you try it again, Carmy, let me know how it turns out. The secret is don't be afraid of wet dough.
Tracy Koslicki
Ohhh you've answered my ciabatta prayers! I haven't been able to conquer the wet blob yet but your step by step is sure to help me finally master it! Thank you!
Debra Klein
Who knew? Thanks for the info and the clear tutorial.
Marisa Franca
You're welcome, Debra!
Natalie
I love ciabatta bread. Sprinkled with olive oil flavored with rosemary and garlic... omg just YUM! I never was so brave to make one thou. It looks fairly simple but I just don't have skills. You are pro at making ciabatta. This looks absolutely amazing.
Frank
Excellent tutorial, Marisa Franca! Yes, the high water content of ciabatta can be tricky to work with, but as you say, the fantastic flavor and texture make it all worthwhile!
Marisa Franca
Hi, Susana! We do love our bread -- I'm ready to get started on my sourdough bread.
Heather
I absolutely love ciabatta bread and never knew it was so easy to make. Great tutorial and beautiful recipe .. thanks for showing not to be intimidated and to jump right in!
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Heather. For us, bread baking is always an adventure. Hope you give it a try.
swathi
That is perfect ciabatta roll, holes can dunk good amount of olive oil. Love to eat them with melted butter also.
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Swathi! Melted butter on ciabatta is amazing.
Claire
This is the best loaf of bread I have ever cooked!!!
Yours looked so good I just had to try it straight away and the smell when it came out of the oven...Well I may have burnt my tongue trying it before it cooled!
AMAZING
Marisa Franca
I'm so glad you tried it, Claire! The best part is the "quality control" testing -- the eating!!
Melissa
Ciabatta is one of my favourite breads, the crunchy outside and soft inside is perfect for dipping in oil and vinegar!!! We also use it to mop up any leftover pasta sauce on our plates yum!! I made it years ago but this has inspired me to try again!
Marisa Franca
Hi, Melissa! Fall is just around the corner -- the perfect time for bread baking ????
Tammy
I don't eat bread often but when I do I always go for a fresh Italian loaf like Ciabatta. It easily one of my favorites. I have to make my own sometime soon...it's been ages! Your bread looks beautiful, Marissa and I always enjoy my stay here when I visit. Lovely post 🙂
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Tammy! Although Hubby and I love to bake we end up giving most of our loaves to our kids and grandkids. We love the eating but the making is so much fun.
Noel Lizotte
I love ciabatta! I've always been intimidated by it though, and had never made it. Thanks for breaking the steps down into a process I can follow!
Marisa Franca
Hello, Noel! Ciabatta bread is really not difficult, it's a matter of getting used to a wet dough.
Michelle
Wow I love the detailed tutorial of your ciabatta bread, you made it look so effortless to prepare. Those holes are amazing!
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Michelle! We enjoy making it -- and it really isn't that difficult.
Kylee from Kylee Cooks
Hey, Marisa!! I always LOVE your bread posts. They make me feel like maybe I could make this delicious stuff at home!
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Kylee! You could make bread at home but you are super busy so it's a matter of allotting the time. Although most of the time is spent watching it rise. ????
Cathleen @ A Taste of Madness
I can never get enough bread recipes. This one looks SO GOOD!! When I have the time, I will definitely try out!
Marisa Franca
Believe me, Cathleen, the effort is well worth it.
Gloria
Well the bread lover in me needs to give this recipe a try. LOVE the aroma of bread baking. Fresh out of the oven...warm...and slathered in butter. OMG...the simple things in life are often the best.
Marisa Franca
So true, Gloria! The simple things are the best.
Shobee
You make this bread effortless and easy to make. I will love to take the challenge of making this, since I kept on buying Ciabatta in the store.
Marisa Franca
Hi, Shobee! You'll be so glad you made the ciabatta at home.
Celeste
Ciabatta bread is a big favorite in my home, my daughter likes to use it when she makes panini‘s. I’ve never tried making it, but I think it’s time for that to change.
Marisa Franca
Hello, Celeste! Won't your daughter be happy you made some at home!!
Veena Azmanov
Wow.. definitely one of the best Ciabatta recipe tutorials I have seen Marisa. I love bread but I am always lazy to make pre-ferments so bread like Ciabatta get neglected. The best thing about these is dipping them in olive oil.
Marisa Franca
I agree, Veena!! The eating is the best part. ????
Claudia Lamascolo
one of our favorite bread to sop up the olive oil in the sliced tomato salad .. I make it all the time just never looked this good. Guess I should be making this recipe its far better thanks Marisa!
Marisa Franca
You're welcome, Claudia! I bet your family loves it when you make bread.
Valerie
I love the taste, texture and smell of freshly baked bread. This ciabatta looks delicious, I could go for some right now.
Marisa Franca
Hi, Valerie! Wish I could send you some but we gave it all to our kids and grandkids.
Camilla Hawkins
What a perfect ciabatta loaf, I'm very impressed. This is one type of bread which I have never attempted to make but you've whet my appetite now:-)
Marisa Franca
Hi, Camilla! I love the challenge of the ciabatta! It is such a great tasting bread.
Ciao Chow Linda
Wow, your ciabatta looks perfect. It's a long process, but so worth it, and you explained everything beautifully
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Linda! That bread smells so good as it's baking. I'd use it as a house deodorizer!!! Of course, it's never around long enough to do that job!!
Elena
Thank you,thankyou, and again THANK YOU!
Marisa Franca
You're triple welcome, Elena!! Have a great day!!
Susie
Hi Marisa, Ciabetta bread ranks at the top with us. We loooooove bread and hard to resist. Thanks, for another great recipe. You’re in our daily thoughts and prayers the right house will come soon....You’ll know it when you see it. Xoxo
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Susie!! We know it will, we're just impatient to get started and unpack our boxes. Love to you and your family!!
Grammy Dee | Grammy's Grid
YUM! If the aroma is better than scented candles and much better than the most expensive perfume then I need to try this!! I always love the stories behind the foods you cook! Shared x 3 ♥
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Dee! When we get a little bit settled you'll see more of me. Hope you had a great vacation.
Jovina
This is my favorite bread. Your directions are fantastic.
Marisa Franca
Ours too, Jovina.
Denise
Ciabatta is my favorite bread....especially with a good olive oil to dip it in. You are such a good baker....your bread loaves look almost too pretty to eat! Whenever I read one of your recipes I think to myself that your family sure must eat good! Great post!
Michelle Ball
Our family has been the fortunate recipient of many ciabatta loaves over the years (I am Marisa's daughter). Ciabatta is always a favorite with olive oil, butter, made into French toast, partnered with soup, prosciutto, or cheese, (now I am getting hungry). Happy baking!
Marisa Franca
Thank you, for the endorsement!! Multi-loaves are coming your way when we find our kitchen.????????????
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Denise!! Actually, we are moving closer to our family so we can bake more and have more quality control critics. ???? We love baking for the family!!
Marisa Franca
Thank you! I appreciate the comment.