Ciabatta Bread is a classic Italian bread variety with a soft, airy center and perfectly crispy, golden crust. Learn to make it at home!

Homemade Ciabatta makes the perfect bread to go with your favorite pasta dinners and soups. For another Italian bread recipe, try my Crusty Herb Garlic Bread!

Sabrina’s Ciabatta Bread Recipe

I won’t lie and say this Ciabatta Bread recipe is quick and easy for weeknights – this is one you’ll want to bookmark for a weekend. It’s the traditional way to make bread that is pretty time consuming and a labor of love, but the majority of the time you’ll be waiting for it to proof and rise. But the extra effort and patience is worth it to have warm, freshly baked ciabatta bread at home. I like to make it whenever I’m making a slow cooker soup or roast, so my kitchen smells super delicious all day and the bread is ready for dunking in savory sauces and broths.

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Ingredients

Biga:

▢ 1 1/4 cup flour
▢ 1/8 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast
▢ 1/2 cup water , room temperature

For the dough:

▢ 2 1/2 cups flour
▢ 1/2 teaspoon rapid-rise yeast
▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
▢ 3/4 cup water , room temperature
▢ 1/4 cup whole milk , room temperature

Instructions

Biga:

In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, rapid rise yeast and water.
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight, for 8-12 hours.

To Make the Dough:

Add the biga to your stand mixer with the remaining 2 ½ cups flour, rapid rise yeast, salt, water and milk on the lowest speed setting with the paddle attachment for 5 minutes.
Switch out for a dough hook and continue on medium speed for 8-10 minutes until the dough becomes elastic and pulls away from the stand mixer bowl.
Move dough to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap.
Let rise for 1 hour.
To Fold the Ciabatta Dough: pull the dough from the edge of the bowl to the center from opposite sides, then turn 90 degrees, fold again from the sides to the center.
Repeat the folding process an additional 3 times (for a total of 8 pairs of folds).
Cover with plastic wrap and let rise an additional 30 minutes.
Remove the dough to a floured surface and cut in half.
For each half fold in from opposite sides, turn and fold in again to the center.
Place each loaf of dough onto one half of the baking sheets and cover.
Let rise a third time for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees while your dough is rising.
Add a pan of water to the bottom rack of the oven and add the baking sheet (which has both loaves on it) above the water.
Bake for 22-25 minutes until golden brown.
Let cool before slicing.

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Can you make this ahead of time?

A great way to make this ahead of time is to bake it and freeze an extra loaf of ciabatta bread. Once it has completely cooled, wrap it in plastic wrap carefully then wrap it in tin foil, or place it in an airtight container. Its best eaten within 3 months of freezing. Thaw it at room temperature and then warm in the oven before serving.

Storage Tips

Serve: Let the baked loaf cool slightly before you slice and serve.
Store: To keep this Italian loaf fresh, once its completely cooled, store it in a ziplock bag or another airtight container and keep it at room temperature up 3 days or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Freeze: You can also freeze the loaf in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Wrap it in plastic to prevent moisture buildup and then store it in a freezer bag or wrapped in foil.

Variations

Herbs: An easy way to add additional flavor to your loaf of Ciabatta is by mixing herbs into the bread dough. I like to use common Italian herbs like parsley, oregano, rosemary, or thyme. You can either use dried herbs or finely minced fresh herbs.
Garlic Bread: You can also mix 1-2 tablespoons finely minced garlic, or 2 teaspoons garlic powder, into the bread dough before baking. Or, once the bread is baked, brush the tops of the loaves with melted garlic and herb butter then let them brown an additional few minutes to soak up the flavor.