Easy Ciabatta Bread Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What makes ciabatta bread different from other breads? ›

Ciabatta is baked with a much higher hydration level, making the holes within the dough much bigger than a baguette. Ciabatta is also baked with a much stronger flour, which has a more delicate and sweet taste. Baguettes also tend to be baked more golden brown.

Take a towel and make it damp, wrap the bread in the damp towel, and place the bread on a baking sheet. Bake the bread at 350 degrees for five minutes or until the bread is soft.

The amount of water you add to your dough directly affects how the crumb in your baked loaf. A more open crumb results in bigger holes and a softer texture, whereas a closed crumb results in a more robust textured bread. Simply put, the more water in your dough, the more open the crumb will be.

“Ciabatta bread is relatively high in carbohydrates and has nearly zero grams of fiber,” Richards cautioned. Mowrer added some other red flags, which include “higher carbs, calories and sodium per slice compared to other bread.”

Sourdough bread is healthier than traditional ciabatta bread. Ciabatta bread is a popular type of Italian bread, and therefore, is less nutritious than sourdough bread due to the leavening agent used. However, if you are searching for a healthier ciabatta bread, you can choose one made with sourdough or whole grains.

If your crust is becoming soft too quickly and not staying crispy you simply need to bake the bread longer. The best way to do this is to lower the temperature of your oven slightly and bake a few more minutes to achieve the same color you would have at the higher temperature.

Does Rising Bread Affect Its Texture? For a fluffy bread texture, the key is to let the bread rise long enough.

It is comprised of just flour, yeast, and water. This fermented sponge is what gives the ciabatta its amazing, slightly tangy flavor.

Ciriola. These small rolls are similar to ciabatta in the sense that they're crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.

Traditional Ciabatta: An Overview

Originating from the Lake Como region of northern Italy, ciabatta means “slipper” in Italian. Ciabatta dough is wet and sticky with hydration levels often 80% or higher. Both the recipe below and this sourdough version are 82% hydration.

Why is my ciabatta gummy? ›

Try less water with your flour. Uneven heat in your oven can be the culprit – if you loaf is nicely golden on the outside but gummy or moist in the inside, it's baking too quickly on the outside. Trying reducing the temperature you're baking at and bake for a bit longer.

Ciabatta bread was first produced in 1982, by Arnaldo Cavallari, who called the bread ciabatta polesana after Polesine, the area he lived in. The recipe was subsequently licensed by Cavallari's company, Molini Adriesi, to bakers in 11 countries by 1999.

Ciabatta isn't different from bread, it is bread. It's made with a lean (no added fat or dairy) high hydration dough (80%) similar to the dough of baguettes. The high percentage of water in the dough creates a very open crumb with large air pockets. There are plenty of high hydration breads out there.

Ciriola. These small rolls are similar to ciabatta in the sense that they're crusty on the outside and tender on the inside.

There are striking similarities between the baguette and ciabatta, but the biggest difference is in the level of moisture in the dough. The wet dough used in ciabatta creates alveolar holes in the bread during the baking process, which changes the texture of the bread.