My quick ciabatta recipe is ready in 4 steps and needs just 5 basic ingredients, 15 minutes of prep, and a single rise. No heavy kneading or overnight preferment (biga) needed. It's almost unbelievable how easy this bread is to make, but the results speak for themselves: A crispy crust and a light, air-pocket-filled center that perfectly soaks up my easy homemade butter, cottage cheese lasagna soup, and even my healthy Nutella recipe.
Quick Look: Quick Ciabatta Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 Minutes
- Cook Time: 25 Minutes
- Total Time: 2 Hours 40 Minutes
- Yield: 1 Loaf
- Method: Mix, rise, bake, and slice!
- Optional Add-Ins: Thyme, sage, oregano, basil, cheese, paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, sesame seeds, sun-dried tomatoes
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Why This Works: With no overnight preferment, kneading, or long rise, this is the quickest (and easiest) ciabatta you'll ever make!
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Why We Like This
- Ready in under 3 hours: Ciabatta traditionally calls for an overnight preferment to let the flavor and texture build… But who actually has time for this? My ciabatta cuts the time without cutting corners. You'll get the same results, but you can prep this in the morning and have it ready by lunchtime. Cut lengthwise and load up with salami, cream mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes for the perfect Italian-style grinder sandwich!
- So easy, you don't need to touch the dough: I'm not exaggerating here. There's no kneading or shaping involved; you just mix the ingredients together, give the loaf time to rise, and bake with a water bath. It's the ultimate recipe for beginners who are intimidated by traditional bread making (or simply prefer zero elbow grease)!
- A versatile bread that can pair with anything: My ciabatta holds fillings and soaks up sauces better than any bread I've come across. Whether you're loading it with my homemade cream cheese recipe or pairing it with stew or soup, it NEVER becomes soggy. The air pockets trap all the flavor. Not a single drop goes to waste!
- The ingredients cost cents: 5 pantry staples. You don't even need to splurge on milk, oil, eggs, or butter; the dough uses warm water instead. It feels like a "budget" meal, but tastes like something you'd get at your local bakery (or trattoria).
- An INCREDIBLE crispy crust: I am a sucker for a good crusty bread, and this ciabatta is SO crusty, it reminds me of the kind you get at The Cheesecake Factory. Not the Cheesecake Factory brown bread recipe that everyone loves, but the crusty loaf that they bring with it. Between you and me, I like that one more than the brown bread, and it's the reason why this ciabatta is a staple in my bread bin!
Ingredients
Anyone can make my quick ciabatta recipe, and not just because it's incredibly easy: It only requires a few pantry staples. No need to splurge or hunt through your grocery store's aisles.
- All-Purpose Flour: I use all-purpose flour for my ciabatta because it's easy to work with and what I always have on hand. However, you can swap all-purpose flour with bread flour if you keep it in your kitchen. Bread flour gives you larger air holes and a much chewier, softer bread, so it works beautifully for ciabatta. If you do use bread flour, just make sure to add more water, as it absorbs more moisture than all-purpose.
- Instant Yeast: Instant yeast doesn't need any prep and can be added straight to your bowl, so I always recommend it to first-time bakers. You can use active dry yeast if that's what you have on hand, but just remember that you'll need to pre-activate it in warm water first. If you skip this, your ciabatta won't fluff up!
Minoo's Pro Tip: You can easily spruce up your ciabatta dough! Up the Italian vibes with basil, add dried oregano and thyme for a heartier flavor, or throw in cayenne for a spicy kick. I've even folded in cheddar and made a gorgeous cheesy ciabatta bread to pair with my mac and cheese no flour recipe.
How to Make My Quick Ciabatta Recipe
- Step 1: In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoon instant yeast, ½ teaspoon sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add 1 cup warm water (110℉) and mix until a wet, sticky dough forms and there is no dry flour remaining. Scrape the sides as you mix to work everything together. Cover and allow to rise in a warm spot in your kitchen for 1½ hours, or until doubled in size.
Minoo's Pro Tip: For the perfect rise, pop your ciabatta in the oven with the light switched on but the temperature off. This gives your yeast the environment it needs to thrive and rise quickly!
- Step 2: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust generously with all-purpose flour. Dump the risen dough from the bowl directly onto the baking sheet, and then sprinkle more flour on top. Using the spatula (or your hands), gently pat the sides of the dough to make an oval shape. You can leave this as one large loaf, or cut it into 2 baguettes or 4 rolls if you prefer.
Minoo's Pro Tip: Use a bench scraper for a clean cut, but don't panic if you don't have one on hand and can't get the "perfect" shape. A little unevenness will give your ciabatta a rustic, artisan look, and match its equally homely taste! It'll also look gorgeous in a bread basket, especially alongside my butterzopf recipe rolls and Brazilian cheese bread.
- Step 3: Preheat your oven to 425℉ and place an empty baking dish on the bottom rack. Put your ciabatta loaf on the top rack, and then fill the bottom baking dish with 1 cup of boiling water to create a water bath. Shut the oven immediately to trap the steam. This steam is what gives your ciabatta that super crispy crust, so act quickly!
- Step 4: Bake the ciabatta for 10 minutes, then remove the water bath and move the loaf to the bottom or middle rack of your oven. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Remove, let it cool down for a few minutes, and then slice and enjoy! Load it up with deli meats or dunk it into my easy broccoli cheese soup. Since it's so hearty, you can even serve it as a side to my Thanksgiving no brine turkey recipe.
Expert Tips
- You don't want a runny dough: While we're after a wet and sticky dough, it shouldn't be runny. It should hold together if you stretch it upward. If it instantly falls apart the moment you touch it, that's your sign to throw in more flour. Add a little at a time until you get the right consistency so that you don't overdo it. This rule applies to other wet doughs (like my panini bread recipe), so remember this! Your future loaves will thank you.
- Always preheat the water bath's baking sheet: The first time I made this recipe, I really struggled to create enough steam for the water bath. Then my mom taught me this trick! If you preheat the baking sheet beforehand, when the hot water hits it, it'll ALWAYS steam up quickly. You can also use ice cubes instead of boiling water.
- Oil your hands (or the spatula): My ciabatta bread doesn't require kneading, but you will need to gently work it into that loaf shape. Since this dough is so sticky and can be difficult to handle, I've found that adding a little oil to your spatula or hands can help with this.
- Add toppings to your ciabatta for extra flavor: Top your ciabatta with the likes of herbs, sesame seeds, jalapeños, or cheese before it goes into the oven for extra flavor. You can even top your loaf with my homemade sundried tomatoes for a focaccia-style twist!
Quick Ciabatta Recipe FAQs
Store your quick ciabatta bread in a paper or plastic bag on the counter for 2 to 3 days. Just make sure to wait until it's completely cool. If you store the ciabatta while it's still hot, you'll trap condensation and your bread can end up soggy and soft the next day.
You can also freeze the ciabatta bread for up to 3 months. Just pop it in a freezable bag, and once you're ready to enjoy, splash the ciabatta with water and reheat in your oven for 10 minutes at 350℉. The ciabatta will taste just as fresh as the day you made it! Since it'll also come out of the oven hot, I love to pair reheated ciabatta with "meltable" toppings like my healthy cheese slices and butter. The heat really gets the oozing going!
Fun fact: I actually have a recipe that can teach you how to make homemade butter! It's super easy, quick, and just needs 2 ingredients, but the creaminess is UNREAL. Whenever I have butter with my ciabatta, it HAS to be homemade now.
Which flour is "best" really depends on your preference and what's most convenient. I tend to reach for all-purpose flour. It's super affordable, something I usually have in my pantry, and it's never once failed me. The ciabatta has always turned out delicious!
I've also had great results with bread flour. While it costs more and is less versatile, it gives your ciabatta a super chewy, tender texture that's a closer match to sourdough.
I've found that ciabatta made with bread flour soaks up sauces a little better than all-purpose, so I love to pair this kind with stews and soups, like my one-pot lasagna soup.
I've found the usual culprit is not shutting the oven door as soon as you add the water bath. If you wait even a few seconds, the steam will escape, and there won't be enough remaining inside the oven to crisp up your ciabatta crust. You should also make sure you're adding enough boiling water (around 1 cup).
If your ciabatta's crust does turn out super soft, don't throw it away! You may be able to salvage it. Splash it with water and place it on your oven's top rack. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes at 350℉, and I've found it often crisps up nicely.
More to Try
There's always room for this hearty ciabatta in your bread bin, especially when it's so versatile and can pair with anything!
Enjoying This Recipe?
It would mean the world to me if you left a quick review or any questions you have in the comments below!
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Quick Ciabatta Recipe
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Ingredients
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour & more for dusting
- 1 Cup Warm Water
- 2 teaspoon Instant Yeast
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- Add flour, yeast, sugar, and salt into a bowl. Add warm water and mix until a wet, sticky dough forms. Cover and let rise for 1½ hours
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and dust generously with flour. Dump risen dough onto the baking sheet. Dust the top of the dough with flour, then pat the sides into an oval shape. Leave as a single loaf or cut into 2 baguettes or 4 rolls.
- Preheat oven to 425℉ and place an empty baking dish on the bottom rack. Put the ciabatta loaf on the top rack. Pour 1 cup boiling water into the empty baking dish to create a water bath, then quickly shut the oven door to trap steam.
- Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the water bath and move ciabatta to the bottom or middle rack. Bake for 10-15 minutes more, until golden. Let cool and enjoy!
Notes
- Use warm water: The water needs to be around 110℉. Any hotter and it'll boil and kill your yeast, but if it's too cold, the yeast will work slowly, and your bread won't rise in time.
- Shut the oven door quickly: If the steam escapes from your water bath, your ciabatta crust won't crisp up!
- Resist the temptation to add extra flour: Your ciabatta dough is supposed to be sticky! I know it feels like the dough needs flour, but if you add more to try and "fix" that stickiness, your dough will turn out dense and dry. Only add extra flour if your dough is runny.
Nutrition
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I made this for the first time today. I did 2x the recipe and instead of doing a single loaf, I dumped the dough on to a floured silicone dough mat, and once formed, I cut the loaf into 8 “rolls”. (Down the middle horizontally and down the middle vertically and then another two cuts vertically) I then placed the rolls into the flour/parchment covered baking sheet. The resulting rolls were light and airy and were delicious with fresh mozzarella, tomato and prosciutto. Thx!
Paul, that’s such a great way to use the dough! Cutting it into rolls after the first rise is honestly brilliant. And now I’m craving that combo of mozzarella, tomato, and prosciutto… sounds amazing. Really glad it worked so well for you!
Mine was really heavy. Do you have any suggestions for me? Also, I wanted to clarify the water bath method is it a traditional water bath where the actual pan holding the bread sits inside a pan of water or is it just a pan with steam that could attribute to the heaviness? I just used a pot in the oven and then put the bread on a sheet tray it on a sheet tray.
Hi Dyanna! Yes the way you did it was correct. You put a pot or baking sheet and fill it with boiling water to create steam in the oven, but the pan with the breads itself does not go in the water! In terms of your dough being heavy, you may have added too much flour into your dough? Your dough should be pretty wet and sticky which is what create the light and airy ciabatta rolls.
My oven doesn't cook hot, but these were very overdone at 40 minutes. Not crunchy, rock hard. Next time I'll stop at 35. I immediately buttered the tops, which helped some. The middles were still soft and delicious.
Hi Diana! There may have been a misunderstanding because the recipe mentioned to have for 25 minutes total. 10 minutes with the water bath and 15 minutes without! Hopefully that helps (:
I just made this for my family for some chicken pesto ciabatta sandwiches and they came out perfect! You made the recipe so easy and it was my first time trying the water bath I was so nervous but it was perfect! Thank you! I can’t wait to make this again!
Stacey!! I am so happy to hear that. And those pesto chicken sandwiches sound delicious... I'm jealous!
Recipe looks easy peasy. I will be making this Ciabatta bread. What kind of flour do you use? AP or Bread?
Thank you
It truly is easy peasy Ruth!! I use all purpose flour but you can use bread flour as well. Which ever you have on hand will work great!
I've made this 3 times in the last week as my first bread!! Came out perfect each time. I did have to bake a couple extras minutes too to get that crust though.
This bread was great, simple, less mess than other breads, quicker, with good outcome. I believe it deserves a bit more salt, and I needed to leave the loaves in a few extra minutes to really brown them. Definitely use silpat or parchment paper, or at the very least grease your pan. One of my loaves stuck very badly hahaha. Tasty!
First time bread baker here, and it was right up my alley! I hate the texture of wet dough on my hands, and this helped avoid that while also giving me the most beautiful and delicious loaf! Honestly, easier than I thought and even better results. I will absolutely be trying this recipe again.
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner. It was a big hit. ????
I should have cooked it a little longer to make it “crustier “
Thank you for the wonderful recipes CC
Hi Loreen!!
I'm so happy to hear that. I shared it with my family as well and they loved it. The crustier the better in my opinion. Thank you for your kind comment (: