Traditional Italian Ciabatta Bread

This delicious Italian Ciabatta Bread is made the Traditional Italian way, with a biga, it makes the perfect sandwich bread or why not serve it on the side with your favourite soup or stew? Homemade bread is not as hard as you think!

Traditional Italian Ciabatta Bread

How many people are now taking up baking their own bread now? To tell the truth I have always been a lover of making bread, in fact I even started a new blog All Things Bread before all this merda happened.

Whenever I go to the grocery store or bakery for bread, this is always the first bread I ask for. Since the Italian is the main bread eater in the family, this is also his favourite.

This bread does not have a high crumb, but it does have lots of wonderful holes and a lovely crust. Ciabatta which means slipper in English, pretty much explains it perfectly. Low and flat!

How to make Traditional Ciabatta Bread

First make the biga, in a medium bowl combine the flour and yeast then add the water and stir to combine.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a cool dry area for 8-12 hours.

In the bowl of the stand up mixer whisk together the flour, yeast and salt, then add the water and biga.

With the flat beaters mix until the mixture starts to come together for about 2-3 minutes.

Then switch to the dough hook and knead for another 3 minutes.

With the help of a spatula place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap.

Let rise in a warm draft free area for about one hour or until doubled in bulk.

Move the dough to floured flat surface, sprinkle the top of the dough with flour and divide into two parts.

Form each part into an oblong shape, place on parchment paper that is lightly sprinkled with flour, then lightly sprinkle the dough with flour.

Cover with a clean tea towel and let rise 1 hour or until doubled in bulk.

Place a baking sheet (upside down) or a baking stone in the oven before pre-heating the oven. Don’t forget to place an empty oven proof cake pan on the bottom of the oven also.

Before putting the dough in the oven add either a cup of boiling water or some ice cubes (8-10) in the cake pan, then quickly & carefully place the parchment paper and bread on the cookie sheet or baking stone and bake for approximately 20 minutes.

Move the baked bread immediately to a wire rack to cool.

What is a Biga?

You may think that a Poolish and a Biga are the same, but the main difference is that a Poolish is a liquid dough and a Biga is a solid dough.

A Biga is a type of rise used in Italian baking. Many popular Italian breads, including a ciabatta and Pandoro, are made using a Biga.

The addition of a  Biga is said to add more flavour to the finished product and is also used in breads that need a light, open texture with holes.

Why add a pan of water while the bread is baking?

Adding water to an oven creates a moistened environment, this allows the bread to rise easier by delaying the setting of the crust. It makes bread deliciously light and crusty. The best way is to put an oven safe pan in the oven while re-heating then add a cup of boiling water or some ice cubes to the pan, place the bread in the oven and bake.

Reasons dough doesn’t rise

There are quite a few reasons why the dough doesn’t rise, the main ones being, your yeast has expired or dead, the room where your bread is rising is too cold, so more time is needed and your liquid is too hot which killed the yeast.

The best temperature for bread to rise in, is 80F / 26C. The best temperature to for the biga to rise in is 71F / 22C, if you home is warmer than that, then the best place to put the biga is in the fridge.

When you remove it from the fridge, be sure to let it come to room temperature, about 45-60 minutes before continuing with the recipe.

How to tell when the bread is done

There are three ways to tell when the bread is done, the first is by looking at the colour of the bread, which is usually a light to dark golden brown (depending on the bread), the second is by knocking on the bottom of the bread, if there is a hollow sound it usually means the bread is done and the third is by the internal temperature which should be 190F (88C) or 200F (93C) for Brioche type breads.

What are the best ways to eat Ciabatta?

In Italy we like to use slices for a simple sandwich, or even open faced sandwiches, topped with Italian cold cuts, such as prosciutto or salami. It also makes a great dipping bread or even drizzled with olive oil.

Be sure to serve this bread with your favourite Soup ,  Stew or even Pasta dish. You need something to soak up the leftover sauce in your dish!

How to store the bread

It should be stored in an airtight bag, it will keep for up to three days at room temperature. The baked cooled bread can also be frozen, place in freezer safe bags or container.

Place the frozen bread in the fridge to thaw, then warm in the oven before serving. 

More delicious Bread Recipes

• Hot Cross Buns Recipe
• Fast & Easy No-Knead Bread
• Homemade Whole Wheat Bread
• Italian Focaccia Bread
• Italian Crescente Bolognese Recipe

So if you have always wanted to try making bread, then why not give this Traditional Italian Ciabatta a try and let me know how it goes. Enjoy!