Ciabatta is known to have a long, slow rise. Not this recipe! This Quick Ciabatta recipe is ready in about 3 hours, start to finish. It requires very little hands-on time and no kneading, making it perfect for weeknight dinner. All you need is water, yeast, flour, and salt. This recipe makes two loaves of rustic bread.
Making homemade bread does not need to be complicated or involve fancy ingredients or equipment. This recipe requires a mixing bowl, something to mix with like a spatula or spoon, a baking sheet, and parchment paper. If you have a dough scraper or bench scraper, that's great. If not, use a spatula and a knife instead.
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Ingredients needed to make Lazy Ciabatta bread
The basic ingredients needed to make bread are water, yeast, flour, and salt. And that's all you need to make this quick ciabatta, too. No olive oil needed for this recipe.
- Water: I use tap water. Feel free to use bottled water or filtered water. I recommend warming the water to 100-110ºF. This will help the yeast activate. Water warmer than 110ºF will kill the yeast, so if you have a thermometer, use it to make sure the water is not too hot.
- Instant yeast: You will need one packet of instant or rapid rise yeast for this recipe. You can substitute regular active dry yeast, however, the rise times may be longer. Pay attention to visual cues that the bread is ready (ex: doubled in size, lots of bubbles, etc) rather than time.
- Bread flour: I recommend using bread flour in this recipe to achieve a great chew and texture to the bread. If you don't have bread flour, substitute for all purpose flour. This is a high hydration dough, meaning it has a high proportion of water to flour. In this case, we use the same amount of flour as water, making this dough 100% hydration. Because of the high level of hydration, this is a sticky dough. In the recipe instructions, you'll see how to handle the dough for best results.
- Salt: I recommend using fine salt as it will incorporate better into the bread dough, however, use whatever salt you have at home. You may adjust the amount of salt based on your personal preference.
How to make Quick homemade Ciabatta bread recipe
Step 1
Warm the water to no more than 110ºF. Check the temperature with a thermometer if you have one. If not, make sure the water feels about the temperature of bath water - it should feel like lukewarm water. If you need to pull your hand away, it's too hot and will kill the yeast. You can add cold water or ice cubes to bring down the temperature. Be sure you measure out the proper amount of water again, if you added ice or cold water.
Pour the water into a large bowl. Sprinkle the yeast on top and stir together to combine.
Step 2
To the same bowl as the yeast mixture, add the flour then the salt. Mix together with a dough whisk, wooden spoon, or spatula until you have a shaggy dough. This is a very wet dough.
Step 3
Cover the ciabatta dough with plastic wrap, a plastic disposable shower cap, or tea towel and let the dough rest in a warm place for 2 hours. After two hours, the dough should have lots of air bubbles, appear wet and sticky, and have doubled in size.
Note: if your home is very cold or you live in a cold climate, the dough may take a bit longer to rise at room temperature. Pay attention to the texture and size of the dough rather than the time to be sure it's ready.
Step 4
Sprinkle some flour on the top and around the edges of the dough. Use a spatula or a dough scraper to lift one edge of the dough stretching it and folding it into the center. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat folding around the edges. Repeat this folding process 3 more times for a total of four full rounds of stretch and folds.
Note: If you run out of time or prefer the long, slow rise, place the dough in the fridge after the initial two hour rise for up to 48 hours. Remove it from the fridge, sprinkle some flour on the top and perform the four sets of stretch and folds. Continue with the recipe as instructed below.
Step 5
Cover the dough again for a second rise and let the dough rest in a warm spot for 45 minutes. The dough will have puffed slightly after that time.
Step 6
After 45 minutes, sprinkle flour on the clean counter and on top of the dough, loosening the sides with a spatula so the dough can release easily. Dump out the dough onto the floured work surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with flour one more time. Use a spatula or bench scraper to gently press the sides of the dough in to shape into a rectangle.
Step 7
Use the bench scraper or a sharp knife to divide the dough in two equal portions down the middle. It does not have to be perfect.
Step 8
Working one piece at a time, gently lift the dough with wet hands by the ends and place side by side at least a few inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly pat the top of each dough to make them even and to press out any large bubbles. You don't want to press out all the air bubbles, just any really large ones.
Step 9
Cover the dough with a clean cloth so it doesn’t form a skin while you preheat the oven to 450°F - this should take about 10 minutes.
Step 10
Once the oven is preheated, remove the towel and bake the dough in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and the internal temperature of the bread is 205ºF, rotating the trays halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly.
Step 11
Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool.
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How to store this easy ciabatta bread recipe
The easiest way to store the cooled bread is in a bread bag or plastic bag at room temperature. Seal the bag with a twist tie or clip and store at room temperature for up to 3 days. The crust may get soft when stored this way. You may also store the bread in an airtight container. This works well for sliced bread.
To freeze, wrap the whole loaf of bread in parchment paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the entire loaf of bread in a freezer bag or airtight container, and store it near the back of your freezer so that it is not impacted by temperature fluctuation from the opening of the freezer door.
Bread will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature then slice and toast. Or, run the thawed loaf under running water to wet the exterior. Wetting the bread will ensure you get that great crust after it's been reheated. Place in a preheated 350ºF oven directly on the rack for 10-15 minutes.
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Equipment
- plastic bowl covers
Ingredients
- 160 g warm water 100-110ºF
- 7 g rapid rise yeast 1 packet
- 160 g bread Flour plus more for sprinkling
- 6 g fine salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add the warm water and sprinkle the yeast on top. Whisk together.160 g warm water, 7 g rapid rise yeast
- Add the flour then the salt and mix together with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until shaggy. The dough will be wet.160 g bread Flour, 6 g fine salt
- Cover with plastic wrap or a plastic shower cap and let the dough rest in a warm place for 2 hours. After two hours, the dough should be bubbly, wet, and sticky and doubled in size.Note: If you run out of time or prefer the long, slow rise, place the dough in the fridge after the initial two hour rise for up to 48 hours. Remove it from the fridge, sprinkle some flour on the top and perform the four sets of stretch and folds. Continue with the recipe as instructed below.
- Sprinkle some flour on top and around the edges of the dough. Use a spatula or a dough scraper to fold one edge of the dough into the center, rotate ¼ turn and repeat folding around the edges. Repeat this folding three more times for a total of four full rounds of folding.
- Cover again and let the dough rest for 45 minutes. The dough will have puffed slightly.
- After 45 minutes, sprinkle flour on the counter and on top of the dough, loosening the sides with a spatula. Dump out the dough onto the floured surface. Use a spatula or bench scraper to gently shape into a rectangle.
- Use the bench scraper or a sharp knife to divide the dough in half down the middle. It does not have to be perfect.
- Working one piece at a time, gently lift the dough by the ends and place side by side at least a few inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lightly pat the top of each dough to make it even and to press out any large bubbles.
- Cover the dough with a cloth so it doesn’t form a skin while you preheat the oven to 450°F - this should take about 10 minutes.
- Bake the dough in the preheated oven for 15-17 minutes, rotating the trays halfway through if your oven bakes unevenly.
- Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.
Notes
- If you run out of time or prefer the long, slow rise, place the dough in the fridge after the initial two hour rise for up to 48 hours. Remove it from the fridge, sprinkle some flour on the top and perform the four sets of stretch and folds. Continue with the recipe as instructed below.
- To store: place bread in a bread bag, bread box, or paper bag and store at room temperature for up to 3 days.
- To freeze: wrap the whole loaf of bread in parchment paper, plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Place the entire loaf of bread in a freezer bag or airtight container, and store it near the back of your freezer so that it is not impacted by temperature fluctuation from the opening of the freezer door. Bread will last for up to 3 months in the freezer. Thaw at room temperature then slice and toast. Or, run the thawed loaf under running water to wet the exterior. Place in a preheated 350ºF oven directly on the rack for 10-15 minutes.