This small-batch ciabatta recipe uses just one cup (120 grams) of flour to make a mini loaf of ciabatta bread with a gorgeous, flour-dusted crust and soft, airy interior.
One loaf of mini ciabatta is the perfect size for one or two people to share, and is small enough to make in a toaster oven. Bake it as one whole loaf or portion it into two long sandwich loaves or four dinner rolls!
Once you get the hang of this mini ciabatta recipe, check out the rest of my popular small-batch recipes. You'll be making your very own small-batch baguette in no time!
5 star reader review
“As someone who’s new to bread making, this recipe is extremely easy to follow and makes absolutely delicious bread. My husband and I were thoroughly impressed with the results and I’ve been looking for a way to make them every day since.”
—Hannah
Small-Batch Ciabatta Bread
For this small-batch ciabatta recipe, I scaled down my full-size soft ciabatta recipe, which takes 3 hours, and made some adjustments to speed up the timing to just about 2 hours. That way, you don't have to work so long to make just one small loaf!
This is a very hands-off bread recipe that is meant to have a rustic, imperfect shape. After you mix the dough together, there's a few short resting periods with less than 5 minutes of work between them, so the amount of active work time is minimal. This is a great baking project for a lazy weekend.
Because ciabatta is a very free-form bread, you don't need a special pan to bake it. Just plop it onto a parchment lined sheet pan, and you can bake this mini ciabatta in your oven or in a toaster oven if that's all you've got!
Small-Batch Ciabatta Ingredient Notes
My ciabatta recipe uses regular all-purpose flour! I use King Arthur Baking Company's all-purpose flour, which has a slightly higher protein content (closer to bread flour) than other brands of all-purpose flour, so if you're using a different brand of flour, you may have better results with their bread flour.
Mixing Small Batch Ciabatta Bread Dough
If you're new to baking or bread making this is a great place to start. You can do this!
I like using a dough whisk for mixing sticky, wet doughs like this. If you don't have a dough whisk, a spatula or your hands will work just fine.
Resting and Folding (Bulk Fermentation)
During this one-hour rest (called "bulk fermentation"), you're going to periodically build strength and structure into the dough using a technique called folding.
By letting the ciabatta dough rest between these sets of folds, air bubbles and gas (produced by the yeast) are trapped inside the dough's gluten network, which gives the ciabatta an open, soft, and airy crumb.
Basically, it's a one-hour rest, with folds every 20 minutes. That's three sets of folds total.
After the initial 20 minute rest, you'll do the first set of folds. Gently grab the top edge of dough with a damp hand and stretch it away from you. Then fold it down over the center of the dough, like you're folding it in half. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat all the way around, tucking all the edges up across the center.
On the first set of folds the dough might feel very weak or even tear slightly. That's okay. Just keep going. It will continue to strengthen as you keep folding.
Stretch the dough away from you. Then fold it down over the middle.
On the last stretch and fold, flip the dough over so the seam side is facing down.
On the first fold in the set, the dough is fully relaxed and will be easier to stretch. By the final fold in the set, you'll notice you can't stretch it quite as much. That's because the gluten network is getting stronger.
Each time you do a set of folds you'll notice the dough feeling airier, smoother, and stronger. The dough will relax into the bottom of the bowl between sets of folds, then tighten up as you fold it.
Learning what the dough "should" feel like takes practice. Pay attention as you do the folds — when it looks smooth and doesn't want to stretch much anymore, stop folding. Cover the dough and let it rest.
After the final set of folds, flip the dough so the seam side of the dough is underneath, cover the bowl, and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. This is the end of the bulk fermentation period.
There Are Lots of Ways to Cut Ciabatta
You don't have to cut this small-batch ciabatta into pieces before baking, you can absolutely just bake it whole. I tested a bunch of other ways to cut it to see if this mini dough makes enough and these are the ones I think worked best:
- Cut in half: Each half is perfect for a sausage sandwich, hoagie, etc.
- Cut in quarters: Soft dinner rolls, mini sliders, etc.
- Cut into breadsticks: Follow the instructions for shaping these twisted ciabatta breadsticks.
Use a sharp knife or bench scraper in a clean up-and-down motion to make your cuts, and leave the cut edges facing open. Don't tuck them under or try to hide them. Ciabatta is a very loose bread — no fancy shaping required.
Ciabatta is a very freeform loaf — you can try to gently stretch or shape it into a square or an oval or a circle, but ultimately it's going to be a bit unpredictable.
When you take the ciabatta out of the oven, it will feel hard and very crusty but it will soften as it cools.
5 star reader review
“This is the first time that a recipe from the internet actually worked as advertised for me. Now I don't have to drive several miles every few days to have great ciabatta rolls.”
—Jim T.
I feel like I'm not getting the hang of the folding. Help!
First of all, take a deep breath. It will be okay. If you find it easier to just do stretch and folds, stick to those the whole time. If you find the gentle slap and fold is easier for you, do that the whole time. You can also use a plastic bench scraper or a spatula to help fold the dough over itself in the bowl.
There are a lot of different folding techniques out there — coil folds, etc. Pick the one that you're comfortable with and do about 8 of them total. It doesn't matter that you do them perfectly. It just matters that the gluten network in the dough is getting folded at all. If there's a different method or technique that works better for you — use it!
💭 Have More Baking Questions?
I've rounded up answers to common baking questions and how-to guides, including:
- Ingredient swaps and FAQs
- Why my recipes are written in grams and not cups
- How to quickly bring eggs and butter to room temperature
- Ingredients I use (salt, flour, yeast, etc.)
- Step-by-step guides for bread and baking techniques
See my baking techniques & troubleshooting guide and ingredient swaps and FAQs for more!
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Featuring fifty easy-to-follow bread recipes made using 1 cup of flour.
TL;DR - Recipe Summary
- Mix the dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and add the water and olive oil. Mix to form a shaggy dough.
- Cover and bulk ferment for 1 hour with folds every 20 minutes (a total of 3 sets of folds).
- After the final set of folds, cover and rest for 30 minutes.
- Turn the dough out onto a well floured counter and dust the top with flour too. Cover and rest for 5-30 minutes.
- Immediately before baking, lift or flip the dough onto a parchment-lined sheet pan to reveal the floury stripes.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes at 450°F. Let cool before slicing.
📖 Recipe
Small Batch Mini Ciabatta (Made with 1 CUP of Flour)
Recipe Notes
- If you are measuring with cups, it is super important that you measure the ingredients properly. See my guide to measuring as accurately as possible by volume for how to do this. If you measure with cups/teaspoons and the recipe did not turn out right, that is likely why. Try again!
- Resist adding flour to the dough during the folding stages. This is a wet, sticky dough by design — use damp or lightly oiled hands to keep it from sticking to you instead.
- If you cut the dough into smaller rolls, reduce the bake time by 2-3 minutes.
- Baking at high altitude: Increase the water to 110 grams. You can add up to an additional 2-3 grams of water beyond that if it still seems very dry. Use wet hands for the folding stages. You may also find that a higher protein bread flour works better for you!
- Keeping Track of Timing: To keep track of your timing with the folds, set a 20-minute timer and a 1 hour timer when you finish mixing the dough. Reset the 20-minute timer when you do the first set of folds. When you do the second set of folds, there should be about 20 minutes left on the 1 hour timer (it may be off by a minute or two given the time it takes to do the folds themselves!).
- Be gentle. The folding process is as much about incorporating air as it is about building strength into the dough. You don't want to knock all the air out of it. Once it's in the final rest, handle it as little as possible to preserve the air inside the dough. This doesn't mean you can't gently stretch it into a long rectangle shape or cut it into rolls — just use "fingertip light" pressure.
Ingredients
- 120 grams all purpose flour (1 cup, aerated and loosely scooped, plus more for dusting)
- 3 grams diamond crystal kosher salt (1 teaspoon; use half as much of any other brand)
- 3 grams instant yeast (1 teaspoon)
- 105 grams warm water (⅓ cup + 5 teaspoons, 90°F)
- 5 grams extra virgin olive oil (1¼ teaspoons)
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and instant yeast. Make a well in the middle of the bowl; pour the warm water and olive oil into it.
- Mix with a dough whisk until the dough comes together in a messy ball in the bowl. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, make sure there's no sneaky lumps of flour hiding inside. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- First set of folds: Use a damp hand to gently grab the top edge of the dough, stretching it away from you, then down over the center of the dough. Then rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat, grabbing the new top edge, stretching it away from you, then folding it down over the center. Repeat two more times for a total of four folds. On the last fold, flip the dough over and do a gentle slap and fold in the bowl by scooping the dough up in one hand, "slapping" the side closest to you it down in the bowl and folding the dough over itself and away from you as you slide your hand out from under it. Rotate the dough or the bowl a quarter turn between each set of folds, so you're always sliding your hand under the tucked under edge of dough facing away from you. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Second set of folds: Use a damp hand to repeat the 4 stretch-and-folds followed by 4-5 slap and folds in the bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.
- Third set of folds: Perform one final set of stretch-and-folds and slap-and-folds in the bowl. Do your best to get all edges tucked underneath with nice smooth surface tension on top of the dough. The dough should feel much more bubbly and airy at this stage and won't stretch as far as it did on the earlier sets of folds. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.The dough will spread out and rise slightly in the bowl during this final rest, but may not double in size.
- Preheat the oven (or toaster oven) to 450°F while the dough rests.
- Dust the top of the dough in the bowl with flour, then gently tip it out of the bowl and on to a well-floured clean countertop so that the un-floured side is now facing up. Be patient and gentle with the dough so it doesn't deflate.
- Dust the sticky top side of the dough lightly with flour. If you're cutting it into smaller rolls, do so now using a sharp bench scraper in clean up and down movements. Cover with a clean dish towel and let the dough rest for about 5-30 minutes. If you need to let it keep resting for another 5-10 minutes while the oven gets to temp that's okay — just cover it with a clean dish towel so it doesn't dry out. It's better to get it in the oven at the right temperature than to rush it!
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Dust any excess flour off the top of the dough, then slide a bench scraper under the ciabatta loaf in one quick movement. Lift and gently flip it over onto the sheet pan so the underside is now facing up. For a less floury ciabatta, gently dust any excess flour off the top. If you don't have a bench scraper, use your hands to flip it.
- Bake for 20-22 minutes until puffed up and browned on top. If you want to be precise, you're looking for an internal temperature of at least 190F. For a softer ciabatta, bake for 18 minutes. Ciabatta will seem very hard and crusty when it first comes out of the oven, but will soften as it cools. Let cool before slicing!
Heather says
Such a delicious recipe! Quick and simple for the beginner. So Good
Katie says
Such a lovely little loaf to make. My family loved it to go along with dinner
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I’m so glad you and your family liked it!
anshu says
hii i followed your recipe, but now there's yeast particles in the dough, what should i do?
i used active dry yeast
also from my experience, i would recommend to bloom the yeast first instead of directly mixing it in dry ingredients first
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Hi there! If you are seeing yeast particles in your finished loaf that is a sign you didn't mix the dough enough before letting it rest. You don't need to bloom active dry yeast in water before adding it to the dough unless you're not sure your yeast is still good. Active dry and instant yeast are the same thing — active dry yeast just has a little shell around it that needs to dissolve before getting to work. The shell around the active dry yeast should dissolve during the mixing step and will continue dissolving as it absorbs water while the dough is resting between folds. That said, there's nothing wrong with dissolving the yeast in water before adding the water to the dough, but you don't need to do it. So if you want to make this again, go ahead and add the active dry yeast to the water and give it a stir before adding to the dry ingredients. That's just fine! PS — King Arthur has more about this in their article all about yeast.
Natasha says
Just make this! I love Rebecca’s precise directions. If you have already made the focaccia, you are ready to move to this ciabatta. I was really shocked by how well the crumb was developed with such a short rise. The bench scraper trick to move the dough is pretty genius and will give you those beautiful ciabatta flour lines. This tasted amazing, and dare I say that I might love this more than the focaccia?!?!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
MORE than the focaccia??? High praise!! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
anshu says
The bread recipe was amazing, it was my first time making ciabatta and turned out sooo good, i even tried it with whole wheat flour so its a healthier option, had to add a little more water but it turned out perfect
Thank you so much for this small batch ciabatta recipe, forever grateful to you ❤️❤️
Samantha says
This was absolutely fabulous! I helped test the recipe and it was simple and straightforward to follow. I had never made ciabatta before and was surprised when it came out great!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Thanks so much for helping test!! I’m glad you enjoyed the ciabatta 🙂
Kate says
Great recipe and perfect for two people. The dough was wet, but I trusted the recipe and it worked!
Jocelyne says
I just made a loaf for myself and it might be the most delicious, fluffiest, amazing bread I’ve ever made. Perfect texture, incredible flavour. It has knocked the mini focaccia off the top spot for me (though it’s still a very close second!). Thank you!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Thank you so much for such a lovely comment!! Really glad to hear you liked the ciabatta!
Hannah says
As someone who’s new to bread making, this recipe is extremely easy to follow and makes absolutely delicious bread. My husband and I were thoroughly impressed with the results and I’ve been looking for a way to make them every day since. We originally used them as Sloppy Joe buns. Thank you for this mini batch idea!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm so glad to hear you liked the ciabatta! Welcome to the world of bread making 🙂
Leann says
This is so good!! I made this yesterday and had some for breakfast… and then I immediately began making a second loaf! I am struggling a bit with the bench scraper flip at the end, but it doesn’t affect the end product too much. Overall, this is really tasty and easy, and it has inspired me to try making the full-size ciabatta someday.
Maureen says
A little confused about cooking temp. It says 400F in one part but 450F in another. Just want to make sure I do things right since your recipes are brilliant
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Ahhh good catch! My oven runs 50 degrees cool so I have to set it at 400 to bake something at 450 and my brain got tripped up as I was writing the instructions. The correct answer is 450F! I've updated the post to match. Thanks for letting me know!
Lynn says
I’m a beginner - this was my second time baking bread. But I followed the recipe and it turned out great!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I’m so honored you chose this as your second ever bread recipe! Enjoy the new skill and the bread 🙂
Nikki says
I'm new to baking bread and this recipe came out great! Wondering if I can double the recipe? Would love something between this and your full size recipe
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Yes, you can double it! If you find out it turns out a bit flatter than you want, it may need a longer rest period before baking or an additional 20 minute rest and set of folds before that final 30 minute rest in the bowl just for a little more added structure!
Kaitlin says
I consider myself an "intermediate beginner" bread maker. This bread was so simple and I love that it can be made in a couple of hours so I can have it prepped in the afternoon and ready for dinner if I want! The instructions, as per usual with Rebecca's recipes were super easy to follow and I always love the visuals to help me along with each step. I have made this ciabatta quite a few times now and it is a hit every time! Perfectly crusty with a nice soft center and a great flavor!
Scott says
This is an amazing recipe. I love to bake bread, almost an addict, and this was one of the easiest bread recipes I have ever followed. So simple and turns out fantastic. Thank you for sharing. It is in my “menu” for when I am in the mood to have sandwiches and even homemade burgers.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I really need to try using this with burgers! Such a good idea!
Nicole W. says
I LOVE small-batch recipes, and this was the perfect accompaniment to some saucy meatballs I made for dinner last night. I cut the loaf into four before baking for 20 min, and they turned out so great! Simple and relatively quick to throw together, especially for a bread dough. Definitely one I'd make again!
Amy says
Haven't tried yet. Just want to give you a big THANK YOU for providing smaller portion bread recipes
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You are so welcome!
Melodee says
Holy moley, even though I flubbed a couple of measurements (5g of yeast instead of 3, about 10g too much of water) the bread was PERFECT. The instructions are clear and the video helped explain the folding and slapping.
It was agonizing to wait for the bread to cool but it was a sublime vehicle for heirloom tomato and cheese sandwiches.
After we obliterated the bread, I stood and announce I was gonna make more for tomorrow and my partner replied "or you can make more for tonight." 2nd round on first rest.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I love this so much!!!! Good on you for powering through even with the flubs, I'm so glad it worked well for you! Enjoy this new unlocked life skill 🙂
Christy says
I made this on a whim and can’t believe how easy it was…not to mention delicious!
I’m so glad I have a small batch recipe so I can make 2 of these at a time!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm so glad you liked it!!
Sally says
I made this for my mom and I for our pasta night. It was perfect! We went on and on about how delicious it was while we were eating and talked more about it the next day. It was so tasty I made another loaf the following night. It could not be easier and perfect for 2 people (if you’re willing to share 😉)
Ida Ripley says
Just made this for the first time today and it turned out great!
Next up, mini bagels...
Thanks for the great recipes 😉
Sarah says
Even though I definitely didn't do the folding right, this turned out AMAZING. going to make it again tomorrow and add garlic butter! 10/10 incredibly easy to follow!
Anna says
Tried this twice now and while it tastes great and the crumb structure is good, the dough is very, very wet when using the stated amounts. It will not form into a sticky ball. I need to add a lot more flour to get to a sticky dough.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I'm glad you like the final product! Are you using weight measurements?
Anna says
Yes, using the weight measurements, but it comes out very wet.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I’m not sure what’s going wrong then — it is meant to be a wet and sticky dough! You may just need a bit of practice. If the bread is coming out correctly then it sounds like you’re doing alright. Maybe try stretching and folding the dough or using a bowl scraper to fold the dough over itself instead of doing the slap and fold technique.
Amelia says
I just pulled them out of the oven and am waiting for them to cool. I was a little scared at first when it lacked the stretchyness during the first pull but as i went along it seemed to get better. Definitely will make again!
Heather says
I literally just made this. I tripled the batch so I could have a few loaves to eat as sandwiches. It was very easy and very little time investment to produce a very tasty small loaf (I live alone so prefer to bake smaller loaves more often rather than have stale bread all the time). While these were meant for sandwiches, one was consumed immediately warm (I know, I know) with good olive oil and dukkah.
I didn't get the level of holes in the crumb that you did, or is found in traditional ciabatta, but I find that's a consistent issue with my breads (I've been baking for years...got it down, except for that!). I've learned to let go and just enjoy what I get! I find it more versatile than holey loaves anyway (I like to make open faced sandwiches and you can pile on the toppings without anything falling through).
Anyway, great recipe. I did it by volume (my scale needs new batteries) - 3 cups flour, 3 tsp yeast, probably about 3 tsp salt (I eyeballed it) and some good glugs of olive oil. Used about 2 cups water, but probably could have gone higher in hydration and that may have helped with the crumb (if that's what I want...but I liked this). Going to try mixing up the initial batter one night and then putting it in the fridge until the next night and baking it off then (for days I have to go to work).
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I’m so glad you liked it! I would guess measuring by volume is why you didn’t get quite as airy a result but every loaf of bread is different. Sometimes they’re airier than others! Keep enjoying the recipe!
Sasha P says
I have always told myself I cannot bake but always admired everyone who could. Would always dream of buying ingredients but always too scared to even try. Today, I actually made this ciabatta. I even felt confident enough about the turn out that I made fresh butter! Thank you for the instructions and this recipe!!! I’m going to make and try more! Thank you so much!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Amazing!!! I’m so happy for you. Thanks for sharing your success 🙂
Sunny says
My husband does the cooking in our household, but every once in while I get an irresistible urge to bake. And then I end up with a big loaf of bread or cake. With just the two of is, I eat way more than I should.
Rebecca’s mini ciabatta recipe is Perfect: quick, straightforward, and delicious. Today I saw a friend’s social media post about making a crusty mini-loaf from The Practical Kitchen. A few hours later I had four delicious ciabatta rolls.
Love the recipes and all the information on the site: videos, recommended tools, etc. I’ll definitely be trying more recipes!
Carina Bender says
Just tried this yesterday! So simple and easy - however couldn't quite get the airiness I was hoping for and the bread seemed a bit dense. Followed all the instructions and folding sets too... any recs here??
Also curious if this can be made with whole wheat flour??
Rebecca Eisenberg says
No it cannot be made with whole wheat flour. Whole wheat baking is a very different type of baking as whole wheat flour does not develop gluten in the same way. Did you measure by weight or by volume? If you measured by volume, that's what caused the denseness. If you measured by weight, there are a number of factors that could have caused the denseness — your water wasn't warm enough, the yeast was old, your kitchen is cold, etc. It's also possible your dough just needed a bit longer to rest before going in the oven, or you were a little too rough with it during the folding and deflated it (this is unlikely but i mention just in case!). I would try giving it 30-45 minutes to rest after you turn it out of the bowl and before baking it next time.
Jim Thomas says
This is the first time that a recipe from the internet actually worked as advertised for me. Now I don't have to drive several miles every few days to have great ciabatta rolls.
Bonnie says
Another incredible recipe! I followed the super clear and detailed instructions to a T and it worked out magnificently. Thank you!!