Sourdough Ciabatta Bread

Molly LaFontaine

Sourdough ciabatta bread has a soft, airy crumb with a crisp crust, making it perfect for sandwiches! In our house, we love using these little breads as buns. Our favorite filler is my slow cooker sloppy joe Philly cheesesteak. It's so delicious!

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Fermenting & Proofing 15

Total Time 15 40

Course Bread

Cuisine Sourdough

Servings 6 ciabattas

Ingredients

1 cup fed sourdough starter feed 4-12 hours before using
1 1/4 cups water
2 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Instructions

Prep Your Starter

BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water to get the same results as I do when you make this recipe. Example: Feed 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water and let the starter sit on the counter at room temperature until it's bubbly and has grow in the jar. Your starter needs to be active, bubbly, and a thicker consistency to begin this recipe.

Make the Dough

In a large mixing bowl, add in sourdough starter, water, and salt, then stir until combined.
Add flour and stir until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to bring the dough into a ball. It will be a little sticky, that’s what you want.

Stretch & Folds

Cover dough with a lid loosely, a damp kitchen towel (that’s been wet then rung out), or plastic wrap. Let dough sit for 30 minutes on the counter at room temperature.
After 30 minutes, begin the first round of stretch and folds. To do this pull a section of the dough upward, folding it into the center, and pressing it down. Repeat this around the dough for 1-2 complete circles.
Cover the dough again and let it sit at room temperature for another 30 minutes. Then, repeat a second round of stretch and folds.

Bulk Ferment

Cover the dough and let it sit at room temperature on the counter or in a turned-off oven/microwave for 12 hours until it doubles in size. See notes for helpful information.

Shaping the Ciabattas

Once bulk fermentation is complete your dough should have doubled in size. Do not punch the dough down you want to keep the air bubbles.
Flour your counter top workspace and then the dough out.
Use your hands to shape it gently into a rectangle. About 10”x7”
Cut the dough into 6 even pieces
Line a baking sheet pan with parchment paper and place the dough pieces on it 2 inches apart from one another.

Proof & Bake

Cover the pan with a dry kitchen towel and let rise 3-4 hours (see notes).
Once doubled in size and puffy, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
Bake ciabattas for 10 minutes then turn down the oven heat to 425.
Bake ciabattas for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the crust is brown.
Allow the ciabattas to cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes before cutting into them. Enjoy!

Notes

IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

Make sure your starter is active! BEFORE YOU GET STARTED: Feed your starter 4-12 hours before starting this recipe. I recommend feeding it a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water to get the same results as I do when you make this recipe. Example: Feed 1 cup flour + 1/2 cup water and let the starter sit on the counter at room temperature until it's bubbly and has grow in the jar. Your starter needs to be active, bubbly, and a thicker consistency to begin this recipe.
Let the dough bulk ferment for 12 hours. It is important to let your dough bulk ferment for the full 12 hours. It should double in size and have air bubbles in it.
Place the dough in a warm spot to rise. For both the bulk ferment and the second rise after shaping, your dough needs to be at room temperature in a non-drafty place.

What to do if your dough isn't doubling in size during the bulk ferment and/or 2nd rise:

If your dough doesn't look like it's doing anything halfway through the rises, you need to place it in a slightly warmer area.
This can be in a turned-off oven with the light on and oven door open, or you can slightly warm the oven to about 75-80 degrees Fahrenheit, then turn it off and place your dough inside with the door shut.
Never leave the oven on, even on the keep warm setting, with fermenting dough inside. Your dough, for both rises, needs to double.

What to do if your dough won't double in size even in the warmer place (and your baked good is dense):

If your dough doesn't double even in the warmer area, there is a problem with your starter. It is too weak to ferment the dough even in a warm environment.
To fix this, you will want to leave your starter out on the counter for 2 days and feed it every 12 hours at a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water.
For example, 1 cup unbleached flour + 1/2 cup filtered (or bottled) water.
Make sure you're using unbleached flour and filtered or bottled water to do this. If you don't, it will affect your starter strength. Reverse osmosis water (or any water that uses salt in the filter) can make the starter weak.
This will strengthen the cultures in your starter to give you fluffy baked bread and treats. After the 2 days, you can go back to feeding it like usual (once a week if stored in the fridge or once a day if stored on the counter). Be sure to use the 2:1 ratio feeding from here on out.

Recipe Notes Disclaimer

I feed my sourdough starter a 2:1 ratio of unbleached flour to filtered water, this creates a 50% hydrated starter. If you feed your starter differently or it isn't active before you start making this recipe, results may vary.

Keyword sourdough ciabatta, sourdough ciabatta bread