Easy No Knead Ciabatta Bread
This is an Easy no Knead, One bowl Italian Ciabatta Bread. Two hours and you can have Homemade Bread for lunch or dinner. Perfect with your favorite soup or stew or with a slice or prosciutto!
When I moved to Italy, I discovered that bread was a very serious business! Fresh whether it be the local bakery or homemade fresh daily bread was a must.
Recipe Ingredients
- Water – lukewarm
- Honey
- Yeast – active dry
- Flour – all purpose flour or bread flour
- Salt
How to make a Ciabatta Bread Recipe
In a small bowl add water, honey and yeast, let sit 5-10 minutes then stir.
In a large bowl add the flour , make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and a little water, if the dough is too dry then add a little more flour a little at a time, until you reach a wettish dough. But remember Ciabatta is a high hydration bread, so do not over flour, or you will not get those lovely air pockets inside the bread.
Mix together with a wooden spoon, when almost mixed add the salt and combine. The ciabatta dough will be loose and sticky. Sprinkle the top with 1 1/2 tablespoons of flour.
Cover the bowl with a large tea towel or plastic wrap.
Place in a warm, draft free area and let the dough rise.
Carefully move the dough from the bowl with a bench scraper or spatula to the prepared baking sheet, making sure that the floured top of the dough remains on the top. Using wet hands can also help with moving the dough easier.
With a spatula or wet hands form the dough into an oblong loaf, place some 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 to the middle rack. Bake until golden and baked through. Immediately move to a wire rack to cool before cutting and serving.
Why do I add ice cubes or hot water?
Adding the ice cubes or hot water to the preheated oven creates steam. They melt and evaporate at just the right time. Once they evaporate and are no longer creating steam this gives the bread a chance to form that lovely outer crust.
I recommend using a thick metal dish rather than a glass or ceramic cake pan if you are using ice cubes as the difference in temperatures can cause the dish to crack.
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 which produced a very wet dough. It produces a very large crumb. And is considered a typical old fashioned Italian 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).
Can I substitute active dry yeast?
Yes you can substitute with instant yeast, for every teaspoon of active dry yeast use 3/4 teaspoon of instant yeast. Also be aware it won’t need as much time to rise.
How to store it
Keep the baked cooled bread, closed in an airtight bag, for 2-3 days. You can freeze it in freezer safe bags, defrost the bread in the refrigerator as needed, passing them in the oven for a few minutes to revive them. It will keep up to 2-3 months in the freezer.
This Homemade Ciabatta Bread is a simple and delicious bread. The perfect addition to whatever you are serving, amazing as a dipping bread also! I hope you enjoy it! Buon Appetito!
More delicious homemade bread recipes you may enjoy!
- Best Pizza Dough
- Homemade Olive Oil Bread Rolls
- Sweet Surprise Dessert Bread
- Easy Focaccia Bread
- Traditional Italian Ciabatta Bread
Homemade Italian Ciabatta Bread
Ingredients
- ¾-1 cup + 1 tablespoon water lukewarm (divided)
- ½ teaspoon honey (or granulated sugar)
- 2 teaspoons active dry yeast
- 2 cups + 3 tablespoons all purpose flour (or bread flour) (divided) (273 grams total)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl add ¼ 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 ½ cup of water (if too dry then add the extra ¼ cup 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach a wettish dough, or if too wet add more flour a tablespoon at a time). 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 1½ tablespoons of flour.
- Cover the bowl with a large tea towel, place in a warm, draft free area and let rise for 1½ hours.
- Pre-heat oven to 425F (220C), line a baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with 1½ tablespoons of flour.
- Carefully move the dough from the bowl to the prepared baking 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 the baking sheet on the middle rack, bake for approximately 20 – 25 minutes. Move immediately to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. Enjoy!
TO CREAT VAPOUR
- While the oven is pre-heating place an empty cake pan at the bottom of the oven, add 4-5 ice cubes or a cup of very hot water before adding the bread dough on the baking sheet to the middle shelf.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from November 27, 2018.
I have made this bread several times and I am constantly amazed at how great it is with very little work. Bread that takes all day to rise and requires lots of time kneading doesn’t taste as good. My family loves this bread and I can whip it up in the afternoon and it’s ready for dinner! Thank you for sharing!
Hi Karineyh, thanks so much so glad everyone enjoys it. Take care.
New to baking:
1 why is the flour needed on top?
2 can bowl have flour or oil for easier removal?
3 what do I need to do for use of whole wheat flour or other whole grain flours?
Hi Jay, because the dough is so sticky the flour helps to make it less so. Probably oil is best. You can substitute with the all purpose with for example whole wheat, although I would probably go half and half. Because using all whole wheat can make the bread drier. Hope that helps. Take care.
Delicious, quick and easy!!! We loved it. I like to measure in grams so the conversion was questionable – if I had to add the 257 grams of water PLUS 2 tablespoons. Please give me your thoughts for next time.
Thanks for a great recipe!
p.s. – With a grandson that is gluten intolerent, I would love to know if you have a bread recipe to suit his needs. Thanks for any help.
Hi Linda, I redid the gram conversion. I am trying to update the recipes because I find the conversion on the recipe card is sometimes not too accurate. Thanks again. Take care. And I will check out a gluten free bread recipe.
eric – further comment. I did use bakers flour so that may have helped also.
But I must also say that if there was the extra 2 tablespoons of water I think it would have been too sloopy to form into a reasonable cibatta loaf and may have just been too flat.
fantastic recipe and it worked superbly first time up. no mess , no fuss and great results.
Not sure however why it says ” 1 cup 2 tablespoons water” as seems a little odd so I just used the 1 Cup with 1/4 for the yeast and honey and the rest into the bread mixture. was still moist but worked really well.
Hi Eric, I usually use metric measurements so converting to imperial gives the strange amounts. Thanks, so glad you enjoyed the recipe. Take care.
I tried this with bread flour and found the moisture was not runny as shown in your picture. Does using the bread flour make a difference.
Hi Christina, yes bread flour makes a more dense bread.
Great tasting and easy bread to make when in a hurry
Always gets gobbled up
This bread turned out fantastic! And it was so incredibly easy to make. This one will definitely be in my bread making recipe rotation.
Thanks Judy, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
My 1st ever attempt at baking anything. I followed the recipe to the letter, other than I allowed the dough to restnfir nearly 2 hours AS I forgot to preheat the oven.
My Ciabata came out golden brown. Spread a little butter over the top, and half an hour later, me and the wife had a slice.. Or two.
It was simply delicious.!
No more buying Ciabata for us.
Thank you for a great recipe!!
Pretoria, South Africa
Thanks so much Nico, glad you and your wife enjoyed the bread. Nothing like homemade bread. Take care.
Apart from struggling with measurements in cups – this recipe is fabulous! Easy and delicious.
Will put a tiny bit less water next time. Loved it!
Made this bread a few times already. Today I substituted 1/4 cup of flour for ground flaxseeds and it was delicious! So easy and it works every time!
Hi Mary, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
First time to make a bread ever and it came out fantastic! thank you for making it easy for me to do!
Thanks Melissa, glad you enjoyed it! Take care.
Excellent! I realised at 11:00 that we were short of bread for lunch. In under two hours we had our loaf. Who says one has to start ciabatta the day before. To answer those who feel it has deflated a little too much, how about leaving it covered for, say, a half hour after transfer from the bowl to rise again. I wonder how it would come out using baking powder rather than yeast. Added bonuses are no kneading and just using plain (all-purpose) flour.
Hi David, thanks so much, glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
looked gorgeous, shaped well but came out flat. crispy on the outside and a bit wet on the inside. I know however my oven is a pain. So will try again but allow time for a second rise after I put it in a pan. Flavor is good too.
Baked this for the first time last night for our two closest friends. Lock-down had been eased to allow two guests to visit. I made bruschetta with this for entre and homemade pasta with beef ragu, served with the leftover ciabatta. It was a big hit! My husband loved it! So, another loaf is cooking right now to eat tonight with dinner. The bread machine is now obsolete. Thanks Rosemary.
Hi Debbie, thanks so much, glad everyone enjoyed it. And so happy you were able to get together with a couple of friends. Take care.
Thank you, first time making ciabatta and it came out perfect ❤️
Thanks Mary, glad you enjoyed it. Take care.