Authentic Italian Ciabatta Bread recipe meaning slipper bread, originally from the Veneto, made with an overnight starter and cooked just like a pizza on a preheated pizza stone.
Ciabatta Bread
Invented by Franceso Favaron in 1982, this is the perfect Italian bread for sandwiches, Bruschetta, panzanella or just to dip in your favorite olive oil as an antipasto.
Very easy to make at home, it’s egg free and dairy free, but you will need to execute some patience and plan in advance for the starter or Biga.
What is Biga?
An Italian starter similar to a sourdough starter but thicker, made from a little bit of flour, water and yeast and allowed an initial fermentation. It gives the bread a unique and wonderful flavor.
The Dough
Don’t be intimated! This is a sticky wet dough overall, hence those nice coveted holes that make ciabatta different and special. Just feel confident and roll with it, don’t be temped to add extra flour, all will be well and turn out great.
If you are looking for a last minute quick crusty bread to make for dinner, please try our Rustic Italian Bread Recipe instead, also baked on a pizza stone.
Serving suggestions:
- fresh out of the oven
- dunk in this Zuppa Toscana
- with a bowl of Italian white bean soup
- grilled for bruschetta
- make panzanella
- dipped in basil olive oil & herbs
- make sandwiches / panini.
how to store it:
Store your homemade ciabatta in a breadbox or plastic storage bag at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. Alternatively you can slice it and freeze it in freezer proof bags up to 3 months. Place the slices directly in the toaster when ready to eat, no need to thaw them out.
Ciabatta Bread Recipe
Ingredients
For the Bread
- 2 c organic bread flour
- 1/2 tsp dry active yeast
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 11 tbsp filtered water
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp warm plant milk
For the Starter (Biga)
- 1 c organic bread flour
- 1/3 c filtered water at room temperature
- 1/8 tsp active dry yeast
- 2 tbsp warm water
Instructions
Make the Starter
- Make your starter the night before you plan to bake the bread.Mix together the yeast with 2 tablespoons of warm water. Allow it to stand for a few minutes.
- In a medium size mixing bowl stir together the yeast mixture with the flour and the water until combined. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to sit at room temperature overnight. If preparing it in the morning then let it sit until evening and up to 24 hours.
Make the Ciabatta
- Use your stand mixer and combine the yeast and the warm plant milk. Let it sit for a few minutes until creamy.Add the starter, olive oil, flour, sea salt and water and mix together for about 10 minutes until everything is incorporated.
- Prepare a large bowl lightly oiled with olive oil. Transfer the bread dough to it and cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to sit until doubled in size, up to 2 hours.
- Turn the bread dough onto a well floured surface and with floured hands cut it in half. Form 2 long loaves.
- Transfer them to a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Optional step: Flour your fingers well and create dimples in the top of the loaves. Sprinkle with some flour.
- Lightly dampen a tea towel and cover the loaves. Allow them to rise again until doubled in size, up to 2 hours.
- Meanwhile preheat your oven to 425” F with a Pizza Stone in the center for 1 hour before planning to bake the bread.Transfer one of the loaves to the preheated pizza stone (together with the parchment paper) and bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown to your liking.
- Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely before slicing it with a serrated knife.
Notes
You’ll Also Love:
Tomato Bruschetta
Bruschetta Panzanella Salad
Burrata Bruschetta
Not everybody has a stand mixer…I know great shock … Wooden spoon then how much kneading???????????
Hi DD, no worries, just use a wooden spoon until everything is incorporated well, a few minutes is all you need.
I do not have a pizza stone, can I use an insulated cookie sheet instead ?
You sure can, only I think it will be difficult to attain that crispy crust. Still worth making tough 🙂
Try a baking steel … they are way better then a stone and can be used on the grill as well…mmmm best crust…everytime
Great idea, will have to try it that way too! thank you!
I use cast iron and it works better than my pizza stone !
Can the bread be baked, cooled then wrapped and frozen?
Honestly I haven’t experimented with that yet so I wouldn’t want to misguide you. If you do try it please report back tough 🙂
That is one gorgeous loaf of bread! I’d love to have a big hunk of it dunked in good olive oil. I’ve wanted to try making ciabatta at home forever – now I have my recipe!!
Thanks Marissa, one of those days when it gets a little chilly outside is the perfect time for baking! ~ Florentina Xo’s
Can the other loaf of dough sit out while the first one bakes and should I heat up another pan while the first one is baking!
Yes it can, you’ll bake it on the same pizza stone you baked your first one. Also, you could bake them together if your stone/pan is big enough. I’m guessing you are a using a pan 😉
How long can the 2nd loaf be kept before baking?
You can keep it on the counter while the first one is baking. I hope that answered your question.
Thank you for your recipe, finally iI can make the good and beautiful Ciabata. My husband like it.
Mine seems very flat- I’m soooo tempted to add more flour, but alas it seems delicious. It’s gone in a day;(
Hi Lori, Ciabatta is usually kind of a flat bread, If you think it was out of the ordinary flat maybe the yeast was not at its prime…Or try a 1/4 tsp extra next time. Hope that helps! ~ Florentina
Thank you for sharing such a delicious ciabatta recipe! It is by far the best I have made.
Your blog is wonderful, and I greatly enjoy all that you share. My husband and I are eating much better, to say the least!
Thank you so much Ashley, you totally made my day Xo’s ~ Florentina
Hi, I am making this bread right now, but the dough is so soft I could not shape or touch it at all. It’s ready to go in the oven but I can’t do one at a time because if I touch them they start to turn into blobs so I can’t even move them off the parchment paper. I followed your recipe to the letter, but I’m not sure wht went wrong, any suggestions?
Hi Nyla, this is kind of a sticky dough which is ok. You can transfer the bread dough into the oven with the parchment paper. Remember to also add a dish with water in the bottom of the oven if you want to get a crispy crust. Hope that helps.
I’m unsure of what you mean by “form two long loaves” so am I rolling out how is that done??
Hi Tiffany, take a look at this video for Crusty Bread, you’ll basically fold the dough onto itself into a round or a long loaf. Hope this helps: https://ciaoflorentina.com/rustic-crusty-bread-recipe/
This is a really great Bread, if you really want it to become crusty you have to add a dish with water for steam in the oven. It will still be a good Bread if you don’t but it won’t be crusty, so just keep that in mind when making this recipe. A keeper for us. Thank you for sharing.
That bread looks like absolute perfection – the texture…WOW!
Oh yum! I love a good loaf of ciabbata, but have never tried making my own before. 🙂
Wow! This looks so good! I can just smell it baking!
Hi can I make it with all purpose flour instead of bread flour
Sure!
Tried the recipe and it turned out great. A nice airy crusty ciabatta. I’m going to try baking it in a deep cast iron pot to see if I could get a thicker bread with the same airy consistency. Not sure if this will work, but a fun experiment.
Thanks,
Sam
So glad to hear Sam! Let me know how it goes with the cast iron 🙂
Hi, I was wondering how your bread turned out cooked in the cast iron pot. Sure would appreciate your comments.
Thanks, Carol
Not this particular recipe but I freeze baked Ciabatta and reheat from frozen for 10 minutes at 200C.
I have a cast iron griddle for my stovetop. Can I use it instead of a stone?
Yes you can!
I drizzled some honey on top of the bread once it came out of the oven. Both loaves were quickly gobbled up. Going to add honey to the mixture the next time I make this (today).
Hey, the bread tasted good. But, mine did not have any holes in it. Did i use too much flour?
Sounds like you overworked the dough and maybe added too much flour as well. It is a sticky dough 🙂
It turned out so good. Didnt get the same look on the outside but inside was perfect. Crust is nice and crunchy. Inside so soft.
Plant milk???
Cashew or almond milk!
What plant milk do you use?
i love cashew milk but almond works fine too!
Looks delicious, can I substitute instant yeast? Thank you
I think that should be fine, let me know how it goes.
This recipe is delicious. I was worried at first because the dough was so wet and sticky, but it surprised me and baked nicely. However when I put the room temperature dough onto the hot stone, after being in the oven for two minutes, my stone cracked in four places. I have never had anything like this happen, so I can only assume it was due to putting something cold on a hot pan. So be careful. Despite that, I will be making this recipe again, it was just that good.
So sorry about your stone Alison, i’ve never had that happen to me so i’m thinking maybe the stone you have is not meant to be heated that high… I have a glazed stone from Emile Henry that i’ve been using for the last 10 years at least and i actually leave it in the oven at all times so it heats up multiple times during the year even if i don’t make bread. Happy you loved the bread Xo’s
I made the ciabatta bread and followed the recipe using a stand mixer and pizza stone.
It tasted fantastic, but it did not have the old world look with the holes in it that I was hoping for.
Is there a way to send you a picture?
The bread came out pretty good! I followed the recipe exactly, however my dough was never wet. it came together pretty easily and it didn’t have the holes inside, I used all purpose flour and thought maybe that could be the reason.
Since I am allergic to nuts, so plant milk is out, could I use raw milk instead?
Oat milk is great!
I love your Italian bread… made often..always delicious.
Just curious with this recipe the need for the starter plus more yeast added. Wanting to make this while our children are back from Italy for the Holidays.
Hey Beth, this is a sourdough formula, a more traditional Ciabatta recipe than the quick crusty bread 🙂