No Knead Ciabatta Bread
This homemade ciabatta bread turns simple ingredients into rustic, flour-dusted rolls with a crisp golden crust and a soft, airy, chewy center. Made with flour, water, yeast, salt, EVOO and a little sugar for the same-day version, it is naturally egg-free and dairy-free. The beginner-friendly method uses a spatula to mix the sticky dough and a pastry scraper to fold it, keeping hands-on work to a minimum. Resting gives the dough time to rise, while a steamy oven helps it expand during baking. Enjoy it at breakfast, use it to make sandwiches for lunch, or tear off a piece to soak up soup or sauce. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself resisting the urge to eat the whole loaf!
Servings 4
Equipment
- Large bowl
- Spatula or Fork
- Plastic wrap or kitchen towel
- Pastry scraper
- Oven-safe metal pan or bowl for water
- Baking tray lined with baking sheet
- Pastry brush
Ingredients
- 400 g /14.10oz 00 bread flour OR All-purpose flour Plus extra on the side
- 300 ml /1.2 cups warm water lukewarm water + small bowl with water for your hands
- 7 g /0.25oz dry yeast (1 sachet)
- 1 teaspoon white sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil EVOO
- Extra flour for stretching
Instructions
- Add the flour, dry yeast, salt and sugar to a large bowl and stir to combine. If you are making the overnight version, leave out the sugar.
- Pour in the warm water and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Mix with a spatula, scraping around the edges and folding everything together until no dry flour remains. The dough will be wet and sticky, so do not worry!
- Cover the bowl snugly with plastic wrap and let the dough rest at room temperature for 2 hours. For the overnight version, refrigerate it for another 22 hours before continuing with the next step.
- After resting the dough, gently scrape it out of the bowl onto a clean work surface. Using a pastry scraper or spatula, lift one side and fold it over the center. Repeat on all sides to help strengthen the dough.
- Return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and leave it to rest at room temperature for another 2 hours.
- While waiting, preheat your fan-forced oven to 230°C / 446°F. Place an oven-safe metal bowl or tray containing water on the lower rack to create a steamy environment during baking.
- When your dough has finished resting, generously flour your work surface, gently turn the dough out onto it and dust the top with flour. Use a pastry scraper to divide it into 4 portions. Gently stretch each portion into an elongated ciabatta roll, taking care not to squash the air bubbles. Brush off excess flour and transfer the rolls to a baking tray lined with parchment paper.
- Drizzle a little EVOO over each roll and spread it across the top with a pastry brush. Finish with a light dusting of flour.
- Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden and cooked through. Be careful of escaping steam when opening the oven. Transfer the ciabatta to a wire rack to cool so the bottoms stay crisp.