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 1/2 cup of water (if too dry then add the extra 1/4 cup 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach a wettish dough). 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 baking sheet with parchment paper and sprinkle with 1 1/2 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.
Hi Rosemary, I made this recipe a couple of weeks ago and I have to say, it was fabulous!
I tend to like ciabatta a bit sweeter. Is there anyway to add more honey to the recipe without throwing off the chemistry?
Thanks much for your great recipes.
Jan
Hi Jan, thanks so much, I would add it in when you make a well and add the 1/2 cup of water. Stir it all together and continue. Hope that helps. Take care.
I used some yeast that expired five years ago, lol. So, I doubled the amount of yeast and let it proof for a bit longer than normal.
I also boiled 1.25 cups of water in a cast iron pan and put the boiling water in the oven at the same time as the bread.
Even with my nearly-dead yeast, I got a tasty (albeit) flat loaf, and perfect crust.
I rarely bake, so this is a great recipe for someone like me. That is, it seems hard to mess up.
Hi Darren, thanks so much, yes it is quite an easy recipe. Imagine if the yeast was fresh? 🙂 Take care.
Bread is very tasty, but I’m not sure how you get the holes without kneading. First time I made it, it was very dense, no holes at all. On subsequent attempts, I have had to knead it periodically during the rise in order to get holes. What am I missing in the current recipe? Thanks for any advice.
Hi Ann, ciabatta bread is a wetter dough and should not be overly handled, handling it too much (kneading) will break up the bubbles the dough has created while rising. So you quickly and gently move the dough to the cookie sheet and then bake. Less handling the better. Hope that helps. It might be dense because too much flour was added. It should be a compact dough.
My bread turned out perfect. I usually destroy bread but this is the first time my bread looked just like the pictures. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi Cody, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it. Have a great week.
Easy tot follow – nice to print an d keep – neat layout.
Love it! Thanks so much
Hi Zelda, thanks so much, glad you liked it. Have a great weekend.
Thank you, @anitalianinmykitchen, for your easy ciabatta recipe!
I doubled the recipe and had to add about 1/4c water to each of the two doughs.
My oven tends to take longer than what recipes list, so I started at 435’F then raised to 455’F after 20 minutes. After another ten mins, it was still very light-colored. I read the comments and increased my baking time by 10 mins at 455.
I also tried baking one with water below and one in a Dutch oven – I prefer the water-below method from how moist it came out in the middle! Thank you for a great, detailed recipe! 👍🏼 #anitalianinmykitchen
One question: the bread still tastes of yeast or soda or both. How can I reduce that?
Hi Jeannie, thanks glad you liked it. Try with 1 1/2 teaspoons of yeast, it may need more rising time but I don’t think much. Let me know how it goes. Happy New Year.
hello everyone,
I, like a lot of people have picked up a few new things while being in quarantine. Lately I have been cooking more and dabbing at baking here and there. I was looking for some Ciabatta bread at the store but they were out. I then thought to try and make it myself. I found this recipe and was interested off the back. Not only because I love the bread but because it I can do it and have it in just a couple of hours vs days that I have seen from other recipes. Only change I did was; I used 3 teaspoons of yeast, 1 tablespoon honey (my fault read it wrong) and baked it for 23 mins using the ice- cube method. If I could post a picture I would. It came out great, hallow on the inside and a nice crust on the outside. It was gone in less than 30 mins. my family loved it so much and wants me to make more. Only complaint I got was that I didn’t make enough.
If I double the recipe how long will I have to leave in the oven for?
Hi Albert, thanks so much, so glad you enjoyed it, at least one good thing has come out of 2020 is people cooking and baking more! If you double the recipe I would probably bake it for an extra 10 minutes but keep your eye on it, or you could make 2 loaves and keep it at the baking time it is now. Hope that helps. Happy New Year.
This recipe is AMAZING! What a gorgeous bread it makes. I made it then used for garlic ciabatta. Honestly, it was so much bette Rohan shop bought! Wish I could post a picture.
Hi Louisa, thanks so much so glad you enjoyed it. If you are on instagram you can #anitalianinmykitchen. Have a great week.
Can I substitute honey with sugar
Hi Atta, yes you can. Let me know how it goes.
Fantastic fast recipe. Have made many and this is the fastest if you need a quick one 👍👍😉
Thanks Vida, so glad you like it. Take care.
I just LOVE your site – thank you for this recipe… I’m NO baker (but a decent “cook”) and this is a whole new world for me… thankfully, it really is as easy as you said in your recipe. BUT – I do have a question… I’ve made this now twice – first time, the crust came out light golden and felt rather hard. I let it cool but when we cut it, the nice crusty-crust was no longer and the inside, although full of holes and beautiful, was rather dense. I thought maybe I under-cooked it, so I tried again and upped the temp to 435 F (my oven is THE WORST) and also cooked it about another 5 minutes. (BTW – both times I used the dish of boiling water underneath) This second time it had the proper golden color and I could knock on it like a door (HA!) but it STILL became soft after cooling for about 10 minutes. What am I doing wrong? (It’s this oven… evil thing…)
Hi Elizabeth, if you have a dutch oven you could try baking it in there, heat the dutch oven (with the lid) in the oven while it is pre-heating be careful when you take it out, and place the bread (let it rise on parchment paper) with the paper in the pot cover it and bake for about 20-25 minutes, remove the lid and bake another 10-15 (no need to use a pan with water). and be sure to cool it immediately on a wire rack you could even help it further by placing the wire rack on a bowl so that air circulates even more. Let me know how it goes.
I was waiting for you to mention the Dutch oven. The bread crust and golden color was just perfect. Thank you so much for sharing .
Thanks so much Inga, glad you enjoyed it. Happy New Year.
Hi Rosemary, I have tried many of your recipes and am very happy I found you….
I do have a question, can I make this ciabatta recipe into rolls
Hi Merryn, sure I don’t see why not, instead of flattening the dough, take pieces and make into balls. Let me know how it goes.
This was great, thank you – topped with olive oil, nduja and basil
Hi Liam, thanks glad you enjoyed it. Sounds delicious. Have a great week.
The first time I made this, the dough was quite wet and produced a fabulous ciabatta. Today, however, the dough is quite dry and hasn’t risen as much. Not sure how it will cook up.
Hi Sherwynne, if that happens then add an extra 1/4 cup of water (1 tablespoon a time) and yes the dough should be more wet than dry. Let me know how it went.
this is great thank you 🙂 keeps getting better