Light and airy ciabatta bread. Use for sandwiches or appetizers

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 30 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 60 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings
  • Category: Bread
  • Cuisine: Italian, Nut-free

Ingredients

Starter/Sponge:

  • 1/4 teaspoon active yeast
  • 1/3 cup warm water
  • 1 cup bread flour

Bread

  • 1 teaspoon yeast
  • 1/3 cup warm milk ((nut or plant based))
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 cups bread flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • oil for greasing

Method

  1. For the sponge, heat the water to a warm 110 degrees.
  2. Add yeast to it and let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.
  3. Add bread flour and make a soft sticky dough. Keep this dough covered at room temperature for 12-15 hours.
  4. For the bread, Warm the milk and add yeast to it.
  5. Let stand for 10 minutes or until frothy.
  6. Add the sponge, bread flour, salt and water and use a hand mixer to mix everything.
  7. Let this dough rise in a warm oven for about an hour. (keep a damp towel over the dough)
  8. Dough will be sticky and full of air bubbles. Turn dough out onto a well-floured work surface and cut in half.
  9. 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.
  10. Cover loaves with a damp kitchen towel. Let loaves rise at room temperature until almost doubled in bulk, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
  11. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 30 minutes or until golden.
  12. In the first 10 minutes, spray water over the bread every 3 minutes, for a softer crust.
  13. Cool on rack
  14. Enjoy with soups and sandwiches!

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.