When someone first suggested that I bake my own bread, I thought they were nuts but this Easy Homemade Ciabatta Bread recipe is literally so simple that I would never think about buying store-bought ciabatta again. For a bachelor like myself, I was really proud of how my bread turned out and it was worth every effort. Simple ingredients and step by step instructions below!
To make Easy Homemade Ciabatta Bread, you will need the following ingredients:
In a mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour with ⅛ teaspoon of active dry yeast and ½ cup of warm water until it all comes together without over mixing. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for at least 12 to 24 hours.
In a stand mixer, combine the activated sponge starter with 2 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, ½ teaspoon of active dry yeast, ¾ cup of warm water and ¼ cup of whole milk. Using a paddle attachment, mix on a low speed for 1 minute and scrape down all excess bits from the sides then increase the speed to medium-low and continue mixing for about 5 minutes until a sticky dough forms.
Using the dough hook, knead the bread on a low speed for about 2 minutes. Then increase to medium speed and knead for 8 another minutes. The dough should still be sticky. No need to add more flour.
Transfer the kneaded dough to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside, at room temperature, for about 1 hour to rise until doubled in volume.
Lightly grease a spatula with cooking spray and use it to fold the dough. Begin by gently pulling a ¼ section from the edge over the dough, over itself and into the middle. Rotate the bowl about 90 degrees and fold again. Continue doing this about 6 times with a total of 8 folds and 2 complete turns of the bowl.
Re-cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside for another 45 minutes to rise until doubled in volume.
To fold the dough a second time, repeat the directions from step number 5.
Cover the bowl, a third time, with plastic wrap and set aside to rise again for about 45 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 450 °F and place a baking stone on the middle oven rack.
Once risen, transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface, dust the top with a few sprinkles of flour and divide into 2 equal pieces.
Gently shape the dough pieces into 12×8-inch rectangles, taking care to not work the dough too much then fold the short sides again towards the center to form 8×4-inch rectangles.
Transfer the loaves to a baking sheet lined with baking paper and lightly sprinkled with a bit of flour. Cover, loosely with some plastic wrap and set aside for a final 30 minutes to rise before baking.
Gently poke the loaves into 10x6-inch rectangle shapes and dust off any excess flour and lightly spray with a bit of water mist. Do not soak. Bake in the preheated oven, on the baking stone, for 5 minutes, then spray again, twice, with water mist. Finally, bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and baked in the center.
Cool on a wire rack for about 30 minutes before slicing and serving.
You don’t need to be a professional baker to make these Easy Homemade Ciabatta Bread loaves. Let us know how your own loaves turn out and tag us in some of your own pics online using our hashtag #cookmerecipes!
Used coconut milk to make this ciabtta vegan.
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