Ciabatta Bread, a rustic Italian white bread with a crisp crust and soft crumb, is versatile and delicious. For another great bread recipe, make sure to check out our easy Homemade Rustic Bread!

Slices of Ciabatta bread on a wooden cutting board, overhead view.

Homemade Ciabatta Bread

Its slipper-like shape comes from a sticky, wet dough barely kneaded, perfect for sandwiches, soups, or as a side with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. With just five ingredients – flour, salt, yeast, water, and cornmeal – this bread requires 16-24 hours of resting time before shaping into loaves and baking at 425°F for 22-25 minutes until golden brown.

Store cooled loaves at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Slices of Ciabatta bread on a wooden cutting board, overhead view.

Ciabatta Bread

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Overnight Resting 16 hours
Total Time 16 hours 45 minutes
Ciabatta Bread, a rustic Italian white bread with a crisp crust and soft crumb, is versatile and delicious.

Ingredients

  • 4-4½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2  teaspoons kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon active dry yeast
  • 2 cups warm water approximately 113°F
  • 2 tablespoons cornmeal

Instructions

  • In a large bowl add flour, salt, yeast, and water. Mix until all ingredients are incorporated. (The dough will still be wet.)
  • Cover and allow to rise in a warm area for 16-24 hours.
  • When ready, use a spatula to fold the dough over a few times inside of the bowl.
  • Fold the dough out onto a floured surface and use your hands to divide the dough into two equal-sized pieces.
  • Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of cornmeal. Lift the dough halves onto the lined baking sheets. Shape each dough into a rectangle (approximately 8×4-inches).
  • Sprinkle a little flour over the loaves and loosely cover them with plastic wrap. Let the dough rise again (about 1 hour).
  • When ready, preheat the oven to 425°F.
  • Bake the loaves for 22-25 minutes. The bread is done when the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Let cool completely before cutting and serving.

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