Ciabatta


Ciabatta
Ciabatta is a small, very soft Italian bread. The name means "slipper". It normally takes a long time to prepare as a special leaven called "biga" is used, but this simplified version is quicker and just as good.
305 K 4.0/5 (27 reviews)
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Last modified on: October 24th 2017
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For 15 Ciabattas, you will need:

Change these quantities to make:
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Times for this recipe
Preparation: 1 hour 1 min.
Resting: 2 hours
Cooking: 20 min.
All in all: 3 hours 25 min.
When should you start or finish this recipe?
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
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Step by step recipe


Stage 1 - ⌛ 5 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 1
Pour 200 ml milk, 150 ml water, 9 g salt, 15 g caster sugar and 50 ml olive oil into a pan, and warm over gentle heat.

You can also melt all these ingredients in a bowl in the microwave for 1 minute.

Stage 2 - ⌛ 3 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 2
Tip 500 g flour and 20 g yeast into the bowl of a food processor, then add the warmed liquid.

Stage 3 - ⌛ 6 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 3
Knead on minimum speed for 5 to 8 minutes, until the dough is evenly mixed and elastic.

Note: For the best way to knead, see: A few tips for effective kneading at home.

Stage 4 - ⌛ 5 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 4
Tip out onto the worktop without flour, and stretch...

Stage 5 - ⌛ 5 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 5
... then fold back on itself a number of times.

You can see how to do this in the recipe for leavened bread which has videos showing the movement.

Stage 6 - ⌛ 2 hours
Ciabatta : Stage 6
Next place the dough in a bowl, cover with a plastic sheet, and leave in a warm place until doubled in volume, which will take 2-3 hours.

Stage 7 - ⌛ 5 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 7
After this time, tip the dough out onto the worktop, press to expell the CO2 gas that has formed, and shape into a ball.

Stage 8 - ⌛ 10 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 8
Cut the ball of dough into smaller pieces of about 50 g.

Stage 9 - ⌛ 10 min.
Then roll each piece under your hand to make a nice ball and place on a baking sheet, as shown in this short video.

You will see that you should try to keep both thumb and little finger straight (these roll the ball), and the other 3 fingers curved over the top.

Stage 10 - ⌛ 5 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 10
The dough is very sticky, which is quite normal, but means that they risk sticking to the plastic sheet when covered again.

This little trick will help to avoid this: place a glass in the middle of each sheet between the rolls...

Stage 11 - ⌛ 2 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 11
And lay the plastic sheet over the glasses, so that the dough does not stick to it.

Stage 12 - ⌛ 5 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 12
Leave the rolls to rise and double in volume for 1 or 2 hours in a warm place.

Preheat oven to 180°C (360°F).

Just before baking, brush the rolls with a little milk to help them brown.

Stage 13 - ⌛ 20 min.
Ciabatta : Stage 13
Cook for about 20 minutes until golden brown, then leave to cool on a wire rack.
Remarks
Ciabattas are great on their own, but you can use them to make delicious sandwiches, or for hamburgers.
Keeping: Several days in a towel bag.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
Proteins (gr)Carbohydrates (gr)Fats (gr)Energy value (in k-calories)Energy value (in k-joules)
Whole recipe60 RDI=20 %400 RDI=40 %70 RDI=10 %2,440 RDI=120 %10,220 RDI: 120 %
Per 100 g6 RDI=3 %40 RDI=4 %6 RDI=1 %260 RDI=10 %1,080 RDI: 10 %
Per piece4 RDI=2 %30 RDI=3 %4 RDI=1 %160 RDI=8 %680 RDI: 8 %
The % figures are calculated in relation to the Recommended Dietary Intake , or RDI of 2,000 k-calories (or 8,400 k-joules) per day for a woman
Possible allergens in this recipe: milk, Gluten
How much will it cost?
  • For 15 Ciabattas : 1.60 €
  • Per Ciabatta : 0.15 €

Change currency:

Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
This recipe uses (among others)
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