Ciabatta is an Italian bread known for its floury crust and airy, chewy crumb. My recipe for soft-baked ciabatta bread uses a simple coil fold, which involves periodically lifting and tucking the dough under itself while it rises to develop strength and structure. The result is a super soft homemade ciabatta bread with an open crumb, perfect for sandwiches. Ciabatta's rustic appearance also means it is surprisingly easy to shape!
Clocking in at just three hours start to finish (most of it hands-off resting time), my beginner-friendly ciabatta recipe is a perfect option for a lazy weekend or evening baking project! I love baking ciabatta sandwich rolls to serve with my deli-style tuna salad or as tear-apart dinner rolls with my favorite homemade spaghetti sauce.
5 star reader review
“I LOVE this recipe!!! It's easy to follow even though I'm a super beginner at baking and it's my second weekend in a row that I've made a batch!! The bread comes out tasting better than ANYthing I've ever bought in the store and I find myself a giggling mess just thinking that "I" made bread!”
—Ida
The SOFTEST Ciabatta bread you'll ever bake
One of my biggest complaints about store-bought ciabatta bread is that the crust is too thick and hard. It can be tough to bite into, especially with lots of sandwich fillings.
So for my homemade ciabatta bread recipe, I focused on developing a soft and fluffy texture inside and out. The crust is chewy and floury; it's undeniably ciabatta, but soft and squishy enough to bite into without issue.
This is the full-size version of my small-batch ciabatta which is made with one cup of flour. To scale the mini ciabatta up and better support the additional weight of a larger dough, I snuck in an extra set of folds and extended the bulk fermentation by 30 minutes. But don't worry, it's still a quick ciabatta bread recipe that you can make by hand, no mixer needed.
To give this ciabatta bread its soft, fluffy crumb my recipe uses a high-hydration, very wet dough. Since it's too wet to knead, I like to use a coil fold (more on that below) technique to build structure into the dough.
You don't need a special pan to bake ciabatta bread. Just plop it onto a parchment-lined sheet pan, cut it into pieces, and your soft and fluffy ciabatta is ready to bake.
Grocery List and Ingredient Rundown
Here are the ingredients that you'll need to make my soft and fluffy ciabatta bread! They're all very basic and easy to find in most grocery stores. See recipe card (at the end of the post) for ingredient quantities.
How I Mix My Ciabatta Dough
Making my soft-baked ciabatta takes just about 3-ish hours, start to finish. It's a very hands-off recipe with no fancy shaping; it's meant to have a rustic, imperfect shape.
If you're new to bread making, homemade ciabatta bread is a great place to start. You can do this!
I use a square container for mixing and folding my soft-baked ciabatta dough — it helps train the dough to hold a square shape so it's easier to cut later. But you can absolutely use a round mixing bowl instead.
Resting and Coil Folding (Bulk Fermentation)
After the dough has been mixed, it's time to let it rest for two hours (this is called "bulk fermentation"). During the first hour, you'll build strength and structure into the dough using a gentle technique called a coil fold.
By letting the ciabatta dough rest between these sets of coil folds, air bubbles are trapped inside the dough's gluten network, giving the ciabatta its open, airy crumb.
I know, it sounds complicated! But all you really need to know is that it's a two-hour rest total, with folds every 15 minutes for the first hour. That's four sets of folds total. During the second hour, I leave the dough to rise undisturbed.
TIP: To keep track of which set of folds you're on, put a small bowl with four candies, crackers, or snacks in it. Eat one each time you do a set of folds.
The first hour starts immediately after you finish mixing the dough. After mixing, the dough rests for 15 minutes, and then you do the first set of coil folds. Each "set" of folds consists of four coil folds.
On the first set of folds, the ciabatta dough will feel weak and might even tear. That's okay. Keep going. Plop it down over itself. It will continue to strengthen as you keep folding.
![[coil fold] an overhead shot of two hands lifting ciabatta dough straight up from the center to do a coil fold.](https://thepracticalkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/fluffy-fast-ciabatta-bread-234.jpg)
![[coil fold] a side view showing two hands lifting stretchy ciabatta dough straight up from the center in a square dough bucket.](https://thepracticalkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/fluffy-fast-ciabatta-bread-247.jpg)
It's okay if both ends of the ciabatta dough release from the bowl. The goal is to get the two flaps tucked under the dough. Pull the dough toward your body, so the flap of dough closest to you curls under itself. Let the far flap of dough settle on top of it to form a coil shape.
![[coil fold] two hands lowering the stretched dough so that one side of it has tucked under the other creating a coil shape.](https://thepracticalkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/fluffy-fast-ciabatta-bread-294.jpg)
![[coil fold] two hands pulling out of the bucket having just released the dough after finishing a set of coil folds. the dough is in the bucket with both ends tucked under itself.](https://thepracticalkitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/fluffy-fast-ciabatta-bread-304.jpg)
Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat. Each time you pick up the dough, your fingers should be sliding under the newly tucked-under ends.
On the first coil fold in each set, the dough will be relaxed and easier to stretch. By the final fold in each set, it won't stretch it quite as much. The gluten network is getting stronger. Each time you do a set of folds the dough will feel smoother and stronger.
After the final set of coil folds, cover the bucket and let the dough rest. At this point, you want the dough to work on developing nice bubbles. At the end of the rise time it will look airier and will double in size.
How I Shape and Cut Ciabatta Dough
Always cut and shape ciabatta on a generously floured work surface.
If you're going to cut your ciabatta into smaller ciabatta buns, this is the time to do it. You can also just bake the loaf whole, that's fine too.
- Cut in half: Long loaves, good for slicing like sandwich bread.
- Cut in quarters: Large sandwiches.
- Cut in eighths: Medium sandwiches.
- Cut into sixteenths: Dinner rolls.
You can also cut the dough into sixteenths or even smaller to make dinner rolls. Don't separate the rolls on the pan before baking, and they'll bake up pull-apart style.
Use a sharp knife or bench scraper in an up-and-down motion to make your cuts, and leave the sticky cut edges facing open. Don't tuck them under or try to hide them. Ciabatta is a very loose bread — no fancy shaping required.
BONUS: Flipping for Floury Stripes
This is a technique I picked up in a class at King Arthur Baking HQ in Vermont. And while it's technically optional, it gives the ciabatta such a pretty pattern on top.
While the cut loaves are resting, the dough expands, and the flour on the countertop trapped underneath the ciabatta gets trapped in the wrinkled creases, creating a unique striped pattern.
To reveal those beautiful tiger stripes and give your soft-baked ciabatta buns their own unique fingerprints, flip each loaf over as you transfer it onto the sheet pan, immediately before baking.
Slide a metal bench scraper under the ciabatta in one quick motion.
Use the bench scraper or floured hands to nudge the flipped rolls apart.
Right out of the oven, the ciabatta loaves will feel hard to the touch. That's okay, they will soften as they cool.
5 star reader review
“This is an amazing bread. I made it twice so far. The first time was 8 little ones for smoked meats sandwiches and again this morning but I made 2 loaves. I taught my 10 year old son to make it and he was amazed at how good it was for so little effort. Thank you for sharing this.”
—Scott
💭 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!
📖 Recipe
3-Hour Soft-Baked Ciabatta Bread
Recipe Notes
- Overnight rise: pop the dough in the fridge after the final set of coil folds and let it finish bulk fermentation there.
- Be gentle. The folding process is as much about incorporating air as it is about building strength into the dough. Once the dough has finished bulk fermentation, handle it as gently as possible to preserve as much of the air inside the dough as you can. Use "fingertip light" pressure to stretch and shape it.
- I feel like I'm not getting the hang of the coil folding. Help! First of all, take a deep breath. It will be okay. If you find it easier to do stretch and folds, do those instead. It doesn't matter that you do the folds perfectly. It matters that the gluten network in the dough is getting folded at all. If there's a different folding method or technique that works better for you — use it!
- Dust off excess flour before baking: Some people like a super floury ciabatta, others prefer less flour on the outside. Whatever flour is on top of your ciabatta loaf when it goes into the oven is going to be there when it comes out. For a less floury ciabatta, dust it off.
- Baked ciabatta can be stored at room temperature for 4-5 days in an airtight container or plastic bag at room temperature with a paper towel to absorb moisture. It will begin to lose its super soft and squishy texture after about 2 days, but can be revived by toasting or popping it in a 350°F oven for a few minutes.
- Ciabatta freezes beautifully. I usually just toss the loaves in a plastic bag and freeze them, but if you want to do it "right" and avoid freezer burn, wrap each individual loaf in plastic wrap before putting them in a bag in the freezer. To reheat soft-baked ciabatta from frozen, unwrap the bread and place the whole loaf in a 350°F oven for about 5-10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 500 grams all purpose flour (plus ~20 grams more for dusting)
- 15 grams diamond crystal kosher salt (5 teaspoons / use half as much of any other brand if measuring by volume)
- 6 grams instant yeast (2 teaspoons)
- 425 grams warm water (90°F)
- 30 grams extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Mix. In a large bowl (or a square dough container if you have one), whisk together flour, salt, and instant yeast. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients; pour the warm water and olive oil into it. Mix the dough until it comes together in a messy ball with no dry patches of flour hiding inside. Scrape down the walls of the bowl, gathering the dough into a loose ball in the bottom of the bowl.
- Bulk Fermentation. Cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour, performing a set of coil folds every 15 minutes. After the final set of folds, cover the bowl and let the dough rest for 1 hour.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set it aside.
- Stretch. Dust your counter well with flour, then dust the top of the dough with flour too. Flip the bowl upside down over the floured countertop and let gravity pull the dough down. Gently lift the bowl off the dough, using your fingers or a bowl scraper to help any stuck pieces of dough release cleanly.
- Cut. Dust the sticky top side of the dough lightly with flour. Cut the dough into two, four, eight, or 16 rolls. Cut in in an up and down motion so the dough doesn't stick to your blade. Dust the newly cut sides with additional flour as needed to prevent sticking. This is a very soft, sticky dough — be patient, and don't worry about them being perfect. Cover with a clean dish towel and let the dough rest for about 30 minutes.
- Flip (Optional!). Dust any excess flour off the top of the dough, then slide a bench scraper under the ciabatta loaves in one quick movement. Lift and gently flip them 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, it'll be fine.
- Bake for 17-19 minutes until puffed up and light golden brown around the edges. If you want to be precise, you're looking for an internal temperature of at least 200°F. Even soft-baked ciabatta will seem very hard and crusty when it first comes out of the oven, but will become soft and fluffy as it cools. Let cool before slicing!
Brenna Pierce says
I didn’t realize I had to do stretch and folds during the BF and totally let it double without doing anything… It has been about an hour and a half and ai just did one set. Have I completely ruined it?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Nope, you can go ahead and do some stretch and folds after letting it rise and it will be fine. Just give it at least 30 minutes to rise after the last set of folds!
Emily says
This is the first bread recipe I’ve ever tried, and will be the last. Genuinely don’t think any could be better than this. Weekly staple in my house
Jasmin says
This is the best recipe. I have been making it for months now. I’m obsessed. I make a big batch every week so mine takes longer than 3 hours buts it’s so worth it
Jeff Owens says
Loved this, especially since this recipe is more about technique than just ingredients. I used straight-up bread flour and found myself needing about 1/3 cup more water, added sparingly after mixing, to get that "wet" dough as described. I think this also made the dough much more stiff during the coil folding; still, it was an incredibly workable dough and the air bubbles formed perfectly. Next time I'll be sure to follow your suggestion to bake to 22 minutes; at 19, I had a good crust but an internal consistency more reminiscent of an english muffin. Still delicious but not sure it would make a great bruscettia as it is. Thanks for creating this, though, it's a great addition to my repertoire.
Deb says
My family and I love this recipe - we tweak it so we can make whole wheat and multigrain versions, and use Himalayan pink salt instead, and it turns out perfectly every time. this recipe also freezes so well for work and school sandwiches, thank you!
Nancy says
This recipe is a FIVE STAR! Very easy to follow and make. Ciabatta rolls came out soft and pillowy. Re-heated the next day and they were airy and delicious. My go to from now on!
MK Blaine says
This is one of my first ever comments on a recipe site but this 3 hour ciabatta is fantastic! Working with the wet dough is a bit challenging especially if you don't like have dough stuck to your hands...and on your wrists 😉 but the results are so so good! I encourage anyone to try this recipe
Debbie Mullins says
Without going into details, I really messed this recipe up, correcting my mistake half way thru. Came out perfect anyway! Great recipe. What can I do to give it a bit more flavor but not by adding garlic, herbs etc? More like a richer, buttery flavor?
Rebecca Eisenberg says
You can use melted ghee (clarified butter) instead of olive oil in the dough or just let the dough do the final rise in the fridge overnight instead of for an hour at room temperature. You could also use a butter flavored olive oil or an olive oil with a stronger flavor! Enjoy!
Liz S says
I love this recipe. I make it often and always have some in the freezer. I especially use this for hamburger buns.
I bought a Mockmill a few months ago to grind my own flour. I am still in a learning curve using fresh flour. I love experimenting with mixing different flours together.
Yesterday I made a batch of Ciabatta buns using 100 g of Emmer, 100 g of hard red, 100 g of Kamute, and the rest using store bought King Arthur AP flour. At the end, the dough felt a little more wet than usual. However, the rolls were still yummy, but a little more difficult to get to the final product. The buns were a bit thinner than usual.
I made these rolls again today using all KA flour and followed the recipe as written. This confirmed for me that my dough using fresh ground flour was a little wetter, just as I thought it was.
Next time I make this using fresh ground flour I will use a little less water in the dough.
Nicola says
Wow this is now our go to sandwich bread recipe - never going back to sliced pan bread! We added a bit of pesto into the mix late on and it was just superb. Gorgeously soft, and an absolute hit with the whole family.
Joy says
This recipe is so easy and my rolls turned out so great!! I made them with Italian flour and they are just amazing.
Thank you for sharing!
Bailey says
My dough was way too sticky to do the coil folds I wet my hands and it still didn't work properly please help me so I can fix it.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
I always have to ask this first just to check: Did you measure by weight? If not, that’s your problem and you most likely need to add more flour. If you did measure by weight and are still having this issue, you can try using oil on your hands instead of water! Otherwise let the dough rest for an hour, then do the folds, then let it rest for another hour. Good luck!
Jeff says
I’ve made them at least a dozen times and can’t stop !! lol. Was wondering if you can use Semolina flour?
Allison says
Made this. Too much salt in recipe. Needed to bump my temp to 480°f.
Rebecca Eisenberg says
So sorry you felt it was too salty. Did you use Diamond Crystal kosher salt or did you use a different type of salt? And did you measure by weight or volume? If you converted to volume and used a different type of salt, that would be your issue. As I mentioned in the ingredient notes I use a salt that is half as salty as other salts by volume. And if your oven temp needed adjusted, it sounds like you need an oven thermometer! Most ovens are calibrated incorrectly and can be off by 20-30 degrees!
Libby says
My family loves this bread. Super soft and really easy to make.
Christine says
This recipe is so easy. My wife had surgery and I’m left to handle everything around the house and with her for two+ weeks. It’s a lot. This recipe is still so simple and tasty that I still made time for it. Thank you!
Rebecca Eisenberg says
So glad you were able to find time to bake bread for your wife while she recovers! Wishing her a smooth and speedy recovery. 🙂 Enjoy the bread!
Sunil Prabhakar says
I have been making these rolls every other day almost, for a couple of months. It’s one of my favorite everyday breads. I slice and freeze them after cooling and I just take them out and toast them in my pop up toaster for toast, or sandwiches. Or at tea time with butter and jam.
Katie says
Really easy and forgiving recipe! I overproofed the dough (2 hours on counter and overnight in fridge because i misread) and definitely had the oven at the wrong temperature sometimes (old oven) and it still turned out great.
nicole says
what a winner of a recipe! ive made this recipe before some time ago, and kind of forgot it existed (because the overnight no knead cheddar garlic loaf always has my heart when i want bread things) until i realized we needed ciabatta for a recipe last night. whipped it up this morning and yep, okay, im gonna need to make this a staple, its so easy and SO tasty. i managed to both add to much yeast *and* too much water by pouring too zestily, and it still turned out absolutely delicious and made us gorgeous sandwiches. it was probably wetter and messier to fold than it was supposed to be, but thats easily taken care of by washing my hands haha. i cant wait to use the rest, bruschetta is in our future for sure!
Bella says
Wonderful recipe, my dough was to wet so I did have to add just a little more flour but its user error my scale is wonky however they turned out beautifully. They have an amazing texture and are delicious my family loves them.
Maggie Rollason says
As a fairly new "baker" I took a deep breath and had a go at your Three hour soft bake ciabatta. Very nervous about handling an 85% hydration dough, but it was fascinating feeling it strengthen and smooth out with each set of folds. Baked beautifully, and was delicious "dunked" in a bowl of homemade tomato soup. Definately a confidence boosting recipe. Now to have a go at the garlic and fennel version, which I see is a much lower hydration ratio. Wish me luck!
Jessika says
Made this twice and followed recipe to the T and both times after 4th fold and stretch my dough still has no structure. What did I do wrong 🙁
Rebecca Eisenberg says
Did you measure by weight or did you convert it to cups? If you converted to cups that's probably the issue — far too much water in the dough. If you measured by weight then it's very likely your yeast expired!
Bernie says
I love to make fresh bread but honestly, I'm not so great at it. This recipe turned out fantastic! Even a day or so after, the rolls were still soft and delicious. I've just started my second batch. Can't wait for them to finish so I can us them for homemade chicken salad. Would highly recommend this recipe!
Carissa says
These ciabatta rolls were pretty simple to make and tasted amazing! My only problem with it was they fell apart when trying to eat it as a sandwich, any idea how to rectify that in the future or is that normal for a homemade ciabatta? It wasn’t an overly wet or soggy sandwich, just a typical mayo spread.
Brenda says
Making these for my pasta dinner tonight and at the 30 minute resting stage. I can already tell they're going to turn out great. A little pesto dipping oil and voilà, dinner is served....a glass of red wine 🍷 would top it off but my IBS says "no" 😢.