Recipe of Ciabatta bread
Vida Recetas Editorial
Ciabatta bread is an Italian classic known for its crispy crust and airy, spongy crumb. This homemade bread recipe, with easy difficulty, will let you enjoy artisan bread without traditional kneading. Its name means 'slipper' in Italian, due to its flat, elongated shape. It is ideal for sandwiches, bruschettas, or simply to accompany your meals with a rustic touch.
The key to this recipe is the poolish, a pre-fermentation that develops flavor and texture. The process includes a 10-minute French fold that, although it seems simple, is essential to achieve the desired elasticity. The result is a bread with irregular crumb and a slightly sweet flavor, perfect for dipping in olive oil or for making sandwiches with cold cuts and cheeses.
This version uses a mix of sunflower and olive oil, which adds moisture and softness to the crumb. You can adapt the recipe by adding herbs or olives for a flavor twist. It is an excellent choice for beginners wanting to delve into the world of baking, as the steps are clear and the outcome is very rewarding.
Prep
3 min
Cook
30 min
Servings
14
Ingredients
Directions
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1
Poolish: In a bowl, place the 160 grams of flour, 6 grams of yeast and 170 cc of warm water, stir with a spatula, do not knead, leave covered with plastic wrap for an hour or as long as you have, at room temperature or in a turned off oven.
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2
When the hour passes, place the 350g of flour in a bowl, add the yeast and sugar in a bowl, add the yeast and sugar, then add a little warm water, cover it and let it rise. When the yeast is ready, add it to the bowl with flour, then add the rest of the water along with the poolish and salt. Stir it with a silicone spatula or whatever you have.
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3
Then on a counter or flat surface, do a French kneading: take the dough on both sides, lift it up and turn it around quickly so that your fingers don't stick, for 10 minutes (this kneading is done when the dough is very wet and sticky). Then add the olive and wonder oil to the bowl (if you don't have olive oil it can take up 100cc of wonder oil) and place the dough on top of these two oils, then cover it with plastic wrap and let it rest for 1 hour.
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4
After the hour, take out the dough and in an oiled dish (use the same oil as the bowl) stretch the dough with your fingers (you can pour flour or oil on your fingers so that the dough doesn't stick) and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then we fold two edges towards the center, making it in the shape of a rectangle, add flour on top and turn it over, add flour again and stretch it with our hands.
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5
Cut the dough with a sharp knife or a flat spatula, you can cut the dough into small squares, triangles or mini rectangles, depending on the size and shape you want. Then we let it ferment on a plate (the one they are going to use to bake it) for 30 minutes. Then they preheat the oven to 180° and bake the bread for 12 to 18 minutes. Then remove the flour that is stuck in the bread with a spatula or knife.
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6
Tips: This dough needs a lot of hydration, so don't worry if the dough is too wet.
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7
To make the bread crispy, you can place a glass of hot water inside the oven when you are going to bake the dough or spray the bread with water.
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8
- If the cuts of the bread don't fit you, it doesn't matter because this bread is very rustic in shape, they don't need to be perfect.
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9
-Film paper is used because the kitchen towel removes moisture from the dough.
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10
If you want to add olives, you can do it in step 3, before letting the dough rest, but you must subtract 100cc of water from the dough, since the olives give it greater hydration. Remove the crusts from the olives.
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11
-This bread doesn't need a normal kneading, you can see in this link what French kneading is like. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uen6X7nRjug or you can simply skip the kneading and stir it with the spatula.
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12
The room temperature must be higher than 25° and lower than 30°, this is so that the dough increases its volume and is soft
Frequently Asked Questions
How difficult is it to prepare Ciabatta bread?
This recipe has a easy difficulty level, which means it's accessible for cooks of all levels.
How long does it take to prepare Ciabatta bread?
The preparation time is 3 minutes and the cooking time is 30 minutes.
How many people does this recipe serve?
This recipe is designed for 14 servings.
Can I substitute some ingredients?
Yes, many ingredients can be substituted with similar alternatives. We recommend checking the recipe variations.
How should I store this preparation?
Store the preparation in the refrigerator for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Some preparations can be frozen for up to 3 months.