This is an Easy no Knead, One bowl Italian Ciabatta Bread. Two hours and you can have Homemade Bread for lunch or dinner. Makes the perfect Sandwich too!
I never really grew up around fresh baked bread. My mother was an amazing sweet baker and a great cook but not a bread maker.
But then I moved to Italy, and of course bread is a serious business here. Whether it be the local bakery or Homemade. The Italian’s mother made all their bread when they were growing up.
All the ingredients to be mixed.
All the ingredients mixed, flour sprinkled on top ready to rise.
And then not so much after, so it became a wonderful treat when she did make it. From Homemade Italian Ciabatta Bread to Focaccia to Pizza.
And when she took pieces of dough, formed it into a round circle and then fried it and when it warm sprinkled it with a little sugar, now that was a treat and ..
We couldn’t wait to get our hands on it!
Ciabatta bread dough after rising for 1 1/2 hours.
Ciabatta Bread loaf ready for baking.
How to make No Knead Ciabatta Bread
- In a small bowl add 1/4 cup water, honey and yeast, let sit for 5 minutes, then stir.
- In a large bowl add the flour.
- Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and the remaining water.
- Mix with a wooden spoon, add the salt mix again.
- The dough will be loose and sticky.
- Sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough, cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a draft free area for 1 1/2 hours.
- Lightly flour a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.
- Gently move the dough from the bowl to the prepared cookie sheet, making sure the top of the dough (the floured part) remains on top.
- With a spatula form the dough into an oblong shape and bake for approximately 20-30 minutes. Let cool and slice.
How to tell when bread is done
You can tell bread is done when you tap on the bottom of the loaf and there is a hollow sound, but if you want to be 100 percent sure,
then using a thermometer is your best best, the bread is baked when the centre of the loaf registers 200 to 210 degrees.
What is Ciabatta Bread
This bread is originally from the North of Italy, from the Province of Rovigo in Veneto Region. It is a flat, elongated bread with a light texture.
It is a very simple bread, made up of a very high quantity of water. It produces a very large crumb. And is considered a typical old fashioned Italian bread.
More Delicious Yeast Breads you may Enjoy!
Homemade Olive Oil Bread Rolls
Traditional Italian Ciabatta Bread
Why I became intrigued with bread making I have know idea, it started in my early twenties and went from there.
I would try making something now and then from Bagels to Pizza and the occasional Loaf of Bread.
I also discovered that bread making isn’t nearly as difficult as I thought and this Italian Ciabatta (Ciabatta meaning Slipper in English, because of the shape and flatness of the bread)
This Bread is just that and delicious too. The perfect sandwich or dipping bread! I hope you enjoy it!
Homemade Italian Ciabatta Bread
Ingredients
- 1 cup 2 tablespoons water lukewarm (divided) (264 grams)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cups All Purpose flour (260 grams)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl 1/4 cup of water, honey and yeast, let sit 5 minutes then stir.
- In a large bowl add the flour , make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and remaining water. Mix together with a wood spoon, when almost mixed add the salt and combine. The dough will be loose and sticky. Sprinkle the top with 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour.
- Cover the bowl with a large tea towel, place in a warm, draft free area and let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 425F (220C), line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour.
- Carefully move the dough from the bowl to the prepared cookie sheet, making sure that the floured top of the dough remains on the top.
- With a spatula form the dough into an oblong loaf, place 5 or 6 ice cubes on a pan on the bottom of the oven to create vapor or add the pan when pre-heating the oven and pour 1 cup of very hot water into the pan before adding the dough. Bake for approximately 20 - 25 minutes. Let cool and serve. Enjoy!
Nutrition
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Joanne says
Easy recipe. But I don’t get the huge holes in the bread. Mine was still quite dense. Was it too much water? Should I try again with lesser water than stated in the recipe?
Rosemary says
Hi Joanne, yes add a little less water and see how that goes. Let me know.
Neil Spencer-Jones says
Hi From Northern France. I consider myself an experienced baker and 99% of baked products in our house are home made from sourdoughs, foccia and flatbreads to tortillas, bagels and baguettes. But never had a go at Ciabatta as it seemed to much of a faff.
So thought I would give this recipe a try. My first attempt wasn’t successful, more of a thin-ish splat than a loaf.
The problem may have been the use of the dreaded cups in the recipe which we Europeans find baffling preferring metric measurements. According to Alexa a cup is 280ml, but Google said a cup is 239ml, so that was how much water I used to 220g of flour. It was much too wet and I should have spotted it that at that ratio we’re at about 113% hydration, far too high. From web research Ciabatta should be about 80% hydrated (compared about 60% for a “standard” loaf). Also being so wet I had to bake it for longer and so it was browner than a Ciabatta should be.
So I had a second go this time aiming for 80% hydration I used 180ml of water to 220g of flour. And it was perfect, in shape, colour and texture. I used French Type 65 Bread flour. When the loaf had been in the oven for about 10mins and the crust developed in the steam I lightly placed a sheet of baking foil on the top for the rest of the bake to create a traditional pale Ciabatta colour, but that’s a matter of taste. Thanks for the recipe. PS: The failed first one actually tasted great and sliced horizontally it made delicious cheese toasties for breakfast, I’ll probably make that version too again but bake it in a skillet in the oven. xx
Julie says
How do you get the outside of the bread to get that nice and crispy golden color?
Rosemary says
Hi Julie, maybe you should bake it a bit longer or you could brush it with milk before baking. Hope that helps.
Lucy says
A favorite in our house! Make exactly as recipe states.
Rosemary says
Thanks Lucy, so glad you enjoyed it.
Clodagh says
Amazing! I was a bit worried it looked like a sloppy mess but it turned out perfectly. I’ve already passed it on to my sister who demanded the recipe when she saw a photo.
Rosemary says
Hi clodagh, thanks so much, glad you and your sister liked it so much.
Julia says
First time I’ve made ciabatta. I looked through a few recipes and this was the easiest so I was dubious it would work. It worked. I now have to make it every day. Only difference is I use a bread tin.
Rosemary says
Hi Julia, thanks so glad you enjoyed it.
Nicole De Freitas says
Best ever
Robbie says
This was so easy even this idiot managed to make delicious bread!!!!
Rosemary says
Hi Robbie, haha Im sure you aren’t an idiot. Glad you liked it. Take care.
Hugo A Osorio says
LOL…I’ll be the 2nd idiot soon!!
Rosemary says
Hi Hugo, and I am sure you aren’t an idiot either! 🙂
Bee says
I’m going to be making this tomorrow but I just wanted to write a comment about how much I appreciate how you have the jump to recipe button and how clean the print option is. Nothing is more annoying to me than going to print a recipe and it’s 5 pages long when it could easily fit on one. I also like the option to not include the picture. Thank you!!
Rosemary says
Hi Bee, thanks so much, glad to help. Let me know how the bread goes. Take care.