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Quick Ciabatta Bread

Course Bread
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 2 hours
Author Quinn Caudill

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup lukewarm water, 105°F is best
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 1/2 tsp fast acting yeast
  • 3 1/4 cup bread flour. I like King Arthur
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Combine all of the ingredients except the olive oil in the mixing bowl. Mix on low-speed using the dough hook, scraping the dough down occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add olive oil and mix for an additional 5 minutes. Dough will be sticky but do not add flour.

  2. Transfer dough to floured cutting board, cover with a large bowl or greased plastic wrap, and let rest for 15 minutes.
  3. Lightly flour baking sheets or line them with parchment paper. Using a serrated knife, divide dough into 2 pieces, and form each into an oval. Place loaves on prepared sheets and dust lightly with flour. Cover, and let rise in a draft-free place for approximately 45 minutes.
  4. As loaves rest preheat oven to 425°F
  5. I use two stoneware pie plates to cook the bread in. If you do not have these just use the baking sheets. If using stoneware place them in the oven to preheat 10 minutes before the 45 minute rest time for dough has ended
  6. After 45 minutes place loaves with parchment paper on stoneware and place in oven, positioned on the middle rack. Mist the bread with water every 3 min for the first 10 min.
  7. Why? This does 3 things. Prevents the crust from forming too fast thus restricting the rising process. It moistens the crust just enough so it doesn't brown/burn at the end of the baking period - you get a golden brown instead of a dark heavy crust. And it finally makes the crust crispier. This is a very important step. It also helps if you have a bowl of water in the oven to increase the humidity percentage.
  8. Bake for 25-30 minutes until browned. Remove from oven and let cool for 15 minutes before eating.

Recipe Notes

First published by Quinn Caudill for DadWhats4Dinner.com ©2015