Recipes Bread Yeast Bread Recipes White Bread Recipes Ciabatta 4.6 (297) 249 Reviews 72 Photos This ciabatta recipe is delicious! Take five minutes today to make the starter, also called sponge, and tomorrow you can bake two loaves of this marvelous, slightly sour, rustic Italian bread. Submitted by Benoit Hogue Updated on March 8, 2023 Tested by Allrecipes Test Kitchen Tested by Allrecipes Test Kitchen The Allrecipes Test Kitchen staff are a team of culinary pros who make and vet recipes using only equipment you'd find in a home kitchen. Staff credentials vary but include training at the Culinary Institute of America; kitchen stints in fine dining restaurants; and countless hours in the test kitchen itself. Meet the Allrecipes Test Kitchen Save Rate Print Share Close Add Photo 72 72 72 72 Prep Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins Additional Time: 1 day 20 mins Total Time: 1 day 1 hr Servings: 15 Yield: 2 loaves Jump to Nutrition Facts Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 15 servings Sponge (Biga): 2 tablespoons warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) ⅛ teaspoon active dry yeast 1 cup bread flour ⅓ cup warm water Bread: 2 tablespoons warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) ½ teaspoon active dry yeast 2 cups bread flour ⅔ cup warm water 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 ½ teaspoons salt Directions Make the sponge: Stir warm water and yeast together in a small bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until creamy. Combine bread flour and warm water in a large bowl; stir in yeast mixture for 4 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let sponge stand at room temperature for at least 12 hours and up to 1 day. Make the bread: Combine warm milk and yeast together in a small bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until creamy. Transfer milk-yeast mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add sponge, bread flour, warm water, and oil; blend until flour is just moistened. Add salt and mix until dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Scrape dough into an oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 1/2 hours. The dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half. Transfer each half to a parchment sheet and form into an irregular oval about 9 inches long. Dimple loaves with floured fingers and dust tops with flour. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios Cover loaves with a dampened kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Dotdash Meredith Food Studios At least 45 minutes before baking ciabatta, place a baking stone on the oven rack in the lowest position in the oven; preheat the oven to 425 F (220 degrees C). Transfer 1 loaf on its parchment to a rimless baking sheet with a long side of the loaf parallel to the far edge of the baking sheet. Line up the far edge of the baking sheet with the far edge of the baking stone in the preheated oven and tilt to slide the loaf with parchment onto the back half of the stone. Transfer the remaining loaf to the front half of the stone in a similar manner. Bake ciabatta loaves until just golden, about 20 minutes. Cool loaves on a wire rack. I Made It Print 429 home cooks made it! Nutrition Facts (per serving) 96 Calories 1g Fat 18g Carbs 3g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 15 Calories 96 % Daily Value * Total Fat 1g 2% Saturated Fat 0g 1% Cholesterol 0mg 0% Sodium 235mg 10% Total Carbohydrate 18g 6% Dietary Fiber 1g 2% Total Sugars 0g Protein 3g 6% Calcium 7mg 1% Iron 1mg 6% Potassium 31mg 1% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.