Description
Get ready to bake the best homemade ciabatta bread—a rustic Italian classic with a crisp golden crust and a light, airy crumb. This easy bread recipe is perfect for a quick breakfast, healthy snack, or a base for sandwiches and dinner ideas. With simple pantry ingredients, this is your go-to easy recipe for impressive artisan bread at home. Try this for breakfast ideas, dinner ideas, or as a crowd-pleasing food idea that never fails!
Ingredients
420g (3 1/2 cups) bread flour
400ml (1 2/3 cups) water, room temperature
2 teaspoons instant yeast (or active dry yeast)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional, for crust and richness)
Instructions
1. In a large bowl, combine bread flour, yeast, and salt.
2. Add water (and olive oil if using) and mix until you have a sticky, shaggy dough.
3. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1-2 hours.
4. With wet hands, gently stretch and fold the dough several times to build strength, then let rest for 30 minutes.
5. Generously flour your work surface. Carefully turn out the dough and divide in half.
6. Shape each piece into a rectangle, handling gently to preserve the air bubbles.
7. Place the loaves on a floured baking sheet. Cover and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hour, until puffy.
8. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) with a baking stone or steel if available.
9. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden and crisp.
10. Cool on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Notes
The dough will be very sticky—don’t add extra flour!
Let the bread cool completely for the best texture before slicing.
For even more flavor, let the dough rise overnight in the fridge before baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Bread
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (about 1/10 of loaf)
- Calories: 145
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 300mg
- Fat: 1g
- Saturated Fat: 0g
- Unsaturated Fat: 1g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: ciabatta, homemade bread, easy bread, Italian bread, quick breakfast, easy recipe