Ciabatta Bread - Instructions and recipe

You could argue that the most important part of a sandwich is the fillings, but you can’t deny the fact that without a great foundation, those fillings don’t mean much! Ciabatta is a crusty, hearty bread that is commonly used for one of our favorite types of sandwich – the panini! This recipe Bread by Mother Earth Newstakes a bit of planning ahead, but is well worth it!

Forty-eight hours seems like a lot of time to devote to bread, but it’s akin to those “fix it and forget it” recipes. The hard part is planning ahead two days. Ciabatta is a relatively new type of bread, first produced in 1982 by Arnaldo Cavallari, a baker from the small town of Adria, near Venice, Italy. Cavallari and other bakers in Italy set out to create a genuine Italian sandwich bread to compete with French baguettes. Ciabatta has become popular throughout Italy, with many regions having their own version, some with a crisp crust and a soft, porous texture; others, like the kind found in Tuscany, Umbria, and Marche, have a firm crust and dense crumb. This recipe is typical for American ciabatta, the more open-crumbed form.

Yields 2 loaves

Starter (Day 1)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
⅛ teaspoon instant yeast
¾ cup water, room temperature

Final Dough (Day 2)
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1¾ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
⅛ teaspoon instant yeast
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons water, room temperature
2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Two days (48 hours) before you plan to serve the bread, prepare the starter. In a small mixing bowl, stir together the flour, yeast, and water. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours.

2. Once 24 hours has passed, prepare the final dough. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, sugar, and yeast. Add the water, olive oil, and starter and stir with dough whisk or large spoon until dough just comes together into a wet, sticky dough. Cover with plastic wrap or a lint-free cotton or linen tea towel (terry cloth will stick and leave lint on the dough) and let sit 19 hours at room temperature, out of direct sunlight.

3. Using a wooden spoon, stir the dough for a couple of strokes. Cover with plastic wrap or a lint-free cotton or linen tea towel and let it rest for 2 hours.

4. Lightly spray a half-sheet pan or a large baking sheet (18 x 12 x 1 inches) with cooking spray. Line the baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour (about 1 teaspoon) in spots where the loaves will go.

5. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and sprinkle with lots of flour. Shape the dough into a log and cut in half. Transfer the halves to the prepared baking sheet, with the logs set parallel with the short end of pan. Press the dough into 10 x 4-inch rectangles. Dimple the surface with floured fingertips. Sprinkle each rectangle lightly with flour and cover with plastic wrap or a lint-free cotton or linen tea towel. Let rise for 2 hours.

6. About 20 minutes before the rise is complete, preheat oven to 450°F.

7. Uncover the dough and place in the oven on the center rack. Reduce heat to 425°F, and bake about 30 minutes, or until crust is golden. Remove and let cool on a wire rack for 1 hour.

8. This ciabatta is best the day it’s baked, but it can be recrisped in 350°F oven for 10 minutes. Store the bread, wrapped in foil, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

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Roll up your sleeves, warm up your oven, and find a new favorite bread.

From intense, chewy sourdough to light, airy focaccia, many of today’s most popular breads are best when they’re fresh from the oven. Then again, that’s always been true.

The timeless allure of fresh bread has been part of Mother Earth Newsmagazine since 1970, when they published their first issue. In Bread, for the first time, the editors have collected their very best recipes and techniques. You’ll find all the classics, including rustic white, whole-wheat sandwich bread, and sourdough. There’s plenty of quick-breads and page after page of country and holiday favorites, such as skillet cornbread, Irish soda bread, and fruit- and nut-filled harvest breads. Go beyond the traditional and try your hand at flatbreads, boiled breads, naan, bagels, pizza crust–even gluten free breads. With more than 150 tried-and-true recipes to choose from, you’re sure to find new loaves to love.