Ciabatta

SERVESMakes 2 loaves
SEASON 10Italian Bread and Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

For a ciabatta recipe with airy texture, tangy flavor, and perfect lift, we chose all-purpose flour, which
gave the bread an open, springy texture. A sponge fermented for 12 hours gave the bread its requisite
flavor. A combination of kneading and turning lent the dough just the right amount of gluten for the
medium-size bubbles we were looking for in the perfect ciabatta recipe. Read Less

GATHER YOUR INGREDIENTS

Biga
1 cup
unbleached all-purpose flour
(5 ounces)
⅛ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
½ cup water (4 ounces), at room temperature

Dough
2 cups
unbleached all-purpose flour
(10 ounces)
½ teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
¾ cup water (6 ounces), at room temperature
¼ cup milk (2 ounces), at room temperature (see note)

KEY EQUIPMENT
Stand Mixers (Inexpensive)
*

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

Two tablespoons of nonfat milk powder can be used in place of the liquid milk; increase the amount of
water in the dough to 1 cup. As you make this bread, keep in mind that the dough is wet and very
sticky. The key to manipulating it is working quickly and gently; rough handling will result in flat,
tough loaves. When possible, use a large rubber spatula or bowl scraper to move the dough. If you have
to use your hands, make sure they are well floured. Because the dough is so sticky, it must be prepared
in a stand mixer. If you don’t have a baking stone, bake the bread on an overturned and preheated
rimmed baking sheet set on the lowest oven rack. The bread will keep for up to 2 days, well wrapped
and stored at room temperature. To recrisp the crust, place the unwrapped bread in a 450-degree oven
for 6 to 8 minutes. The bread will keep frozen for several months wrapped in foil and placed in a large
zipper-lock bag. Thaw the bread at room temperature and recrisp using the instructions above.
1

INSTRUCTIONS
FOR THE BIGA: Combine flour, yeast, and water in medium bowl and stir with wooden spoon until
uniform mass forms, about 1 minute. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let stand at room
temperature (about 70 degrees) overnight (at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours).
2
FOR THE DOUGH: Place biga and dough ingredients in bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle
attachment. Mix on lowest speed until roughly combined and shaggy dough forms, about 1 minute;
scrape down sides of bowl as necessary. Continue mixing on medium-low speed until dough becomes
uniform mass that collects on paddle and pulls away from sides of bowl, 4 to 6 minutes. Change to
dough hook and knead bread on medium speed until smooth and shiny (dough will be very sticky),
about 10 minutes. Transfer dough to large bowl and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Let dough rise at
room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3
Spray rubber spatula or bowl scraper with nonstick cooking spray; fold partially risen dough over itself
by gently lifting and folding edge of dough toward middle. Turn bowl 90 degrees; fold again. Turn
bowl and fold dough six more times (total of eight turns). Cover with plastic wrap and let rise for 30
minutes. Repeat folding, replace plastic wrap, and let rise until doubled in volume, about 30 minutes
longer. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place baking stone on rack, and heat
oven to 450 degrees at least 30 minutes before baking.
4
Cut two 12- by 6-inch pieces of parchment paper and liberally dust with flour. Transfer dough to
liberally floured counter, being careful not to deflate completely. Following photos 6 through 9 above,
liberally flour top of dough and divide in half. Turn 1 piece of dough so cut side is facing up and dust
with flour. With well-floured hands, press dough into rough 12- by 6-inch shape. Fold shorter sides of
dough toward center, overlapping them like business letter to form 7- by 4-inch loaf. Repeat with
second dough piece. Gently transfer each loaf seam-side down to parchment sheets, dust with flour, and
cover with plastic wrap. Let loaves sit at room temperature for 30 minutes (surfaces of loaves will
develop small bubbles).
5
Slide parchment with loaves onto inverted, rimmed baking sheet or pizza peel. Using floured fingertips,
evenly poke entire surface of each loaf to form 10- by 6-inch rectangle; spray loaves lightly with water.
Carefully slide parchment with loaves onto baking stone using jerking motion. Bake, spraying loaves
with water twice more during first 5 minutes of baking time, until crust is deep golden brown and
instant-read thermometer inserted into centers of loaves registers 210 degrees, 22 to 27 minutes.
Transfer to wire rack, discard parchment, and cool loaves to room temperature, about 1 hour, before
slicing and serving.

Recommended Reading
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39 Comments
Sort by

kA
karen A.
3 days
I made this recipe twice before and it is my favorite bread ever. But Made the biga and mixed the
dough this am and it was very watery> Any reason for it. I was concerned that maybe my yeast which I
keep refrigerated was not good. Approx. a month? Any ideas. Making a new biga today to try again
tomorrow.
0 This is helpful
Reply

Keith Dresser
karen A.
3 days
Hi Karen - The dough is quite wet. Did you watch the video? Does the dough look looser than the
video? If using a volume measure for the flour (instead of weight) the dough might need a little more
flour.
0 This is helpful
Reply

CP
Charlene P.
6 days
I don't have a stand mixer. Should I try a food processor or trying mixing it by hand?
0 This is helpful
Reply

Keith Dresser
Charlene P.
6 days
Hi Charlene - Since the dough is quite wet, I think it might be too taxing on a food processor and too
sticky to knead by hand. Sorry, I can't be more helpful.
0 This is helpful

ML
Morticia L.
7 days
Has anyone tried turning this into rolls instead of two loaves? If so, how have you adjusted
method/baking time?
0 This is helpful
Reply

JA
JAMES A.
Morticia L.
2 days
I'm wondering that same question!
0 This is helpful
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Keith Dresser
JAMES A.
2 days
Hi All - I've never tried making rolls with this. We have a Rustic Dinner Roll recipe that is quite similar
to the Ciabatta in texture and flavor - https://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/4519-rustic-dinner-rolls
0 This is helpful
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GS
Greg S.
15 days
I am in the process of making this today. I made the BIGA last night and it did get bubbly. I followed
the dough steps, weighing the ingredients, but it didn't get shaggy or do anything as described. It is now
resting in the bowl.
0 This is helpful
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Keith Dresser
Greg S.
11 days
Hi Greg - I'm not sure what would account for the difference in appearance. Do you alter any of the
ingredients?

Reply

AE
AMITA E.
19 days
I made this recipe a few times and each time it comes out great with the right-sized bubbles, and the
taste is wonderful. The only thing that I think should improve is the thickness of the crust! The
ciabattas that I've had have had a little thicker crust (especially on top) but mine are not as thick...Is
there something that I'm doing wrong? I follow the recipe completely! Just FYI, I used regular AP flour
once and King Arthur AP flour. In both cases I got the same results. Help Please! Thanks, Amita
0 This is helpful
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Keith Dresser
AMITA E.
11 days
Hi Amita - I would suggest skipping the last spritz with water. Or you could try bumping up the oven
temp a bit.
0 This is helpful
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AE
AMITA E.
Keith Dresser
9 days
Thanks Keith...I will give that a try!
0 This is helpful
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BH
BETTY H.
26 days
I had difficulty getting the initial mix to leave the sides of the bowl and end up on the paddle in a ball
as described in the recipe. I finally turned up the speed from med low to medium. It finally left the
sides of the bowl, etc. but it took much longer than 6 minutes. I was concerned that it would make the
bread tough but in the end it was very tasty and chewy but not tough. It did not raise as high as I had
hoped. It was uneven, high in some spots and very flat in others. I really like this recipe but obviously, I
could use some advice here. Thank you.
0 This is helpful
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Keith Dresser
BETTY H.
11 days
Hi Betty - Was the bread uneven going into the oven? Or after it baked? Sometimes I find when
shaping the loaves that if I don't evenly poke the entire surface they can bake unevenly.
0 This is helpful
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JR
Jennifer R.
about 2 months
I followed the recipe exactly, and I still had one giant air hole instead of many big bubbles. Was I too
gently when pressing it out before putting it into the oven? My loaves also baked VERY dark. I've had
my new oven recently tested for accuracy, so I know it's not running hot. Any thoughts? Thanks!

0 This is helpful
Reply

Keith Dresser
Jennifer R.
11 days
Hi Jennifer - Hmm, I haven't had this happen to me before. I think you could be a little more aggressive
when folding, so you can distribute the air pockets a little more evenly. Another suggestion is to knead
the dough a little longer.

Reply

KH
Karol H.
2 months
Holy Quarantine Baking, Batman! This is a terrific recipe. The only change I made was that I baked the
loaves one at a time—out of necessity. My baking stone is round and intended for pizza crust, and I
feared the dough would fall over the edge if I put both loaves on it together. After the loaves cooled, we
had the best BLT’s ever!

5 This is helpful
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JA
Jack A.
3 months
Fantastic Recipe, I grind my own whole wheat flour (double grind) and I used that for the Biga. This
has got to be the best ciabatta I've ever had. Next time I'll add some fresh rosemary - just a little.
Thanks
0 This is helpful
Reply

LH
LYNN H.
5 months
I haven't made ciabatta in years, and the technique used in this recipe is different from what I'm used to,
but the bread is fantastic. I was out of AP flour, so I subbed in king arthur bread flour and used 50% of
that and 50% king arthur white whole wheat flour (which I planned on using anyway). I didn't see
anyone comment about using whole wheat so I thought I'd mention that in case anyone else was
wondering if it works here. It does! I also added a teaspoon of diastatic malt powder and an extra 2
tablespoons of water, and you can't even tell it's wheat. I'll be adding this into the regular rotation, for
sure.
2 This is helpful
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KS
KENDRA S.
5 months
I don't have a stand mixer, but a good sized magimix food processor with a dough attachment. Is there
any way to adapt this to a food processor?
0 This is helpful
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GK
Gregg K.
5 months
Kitchen Aid stand mixer instructions warn against using the dough hook above speed #2 and also say
not to use it for more than 2 minutes at a time to avoid straining the motor. This is the second Cook's
Illustrated recipe I've seen that ignores these warnings (the other being the NJ Style Crumb Buns). Is
there any response to why this warning is ignored?
https://producthelp.kitchenaid.com/Countertop_Appliances/Stand_Mixers/
Stand_Mixer_Tips_and_Tricks/Making_Bread_in_a_KitchenAid_Stand_Mixer
2 This is helpful
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BH
BETTY H.
Gregg K.
26 days
I work at Williams-Sonoma and I can tell you that if you are a vigorous bread baker you will eventually
burn up the motor in a home Kitchen Aid Mixer. I have a 6 quart Professional Kitchen Aid Mixer and I
would not use it if I planned to make bread on a regular basis. It will not hold up. You need a mixer
with a larger motor. If you plan to make bread on a regular basis, I would call KA and ask them to
suggest a mixer that will stand up under the rigors of kneading bread.
0 This is helpful
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BW
BETH W.
BETTY H.
25 days
I've been using my 22-year old KA Artisan mixer to make 2+ loaves of bread a week for over a decade.
Maybe you're talking about the strength and reliability of newer KA models, which has always
concerned me when I've flirted with replacing my machine with something larger and prettier. Good
lord I can't believe the claim that a Pro 6-qt. model won't be reliable for bread-making. Regardless, for
my experience, this comment and the previous one about being precious with dough hook speeds is
simply not valid. No amount of punishment seems to phase my mixer, thank heavens. Also, the
aggressiveness of the original comment makes me tired. This is CI, not Reddit. I hope.
0 This is helpful
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JK
JOANNE K.
7 months
Where are the photos???
1 This is helpful
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Keith Dresser
JOANNE K.
7 months
Hi Joanne - Click on the link "How to Make Ciabatta" right under the procedure.
0 This is helpful
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DD
DAVID D.
10 months
I’m getting back into Bread baking after a couple of years. Ciabatta bread is something that I have
wanted to bake for a long time. Instead of spraying with water in the first 5 minutes, I have used a large
disposable baking pan to cover the loaves, removing after 5 minutes. Because I feel the oven temp
drops every time the door is open. This might keep a more consistent temperature. The smell of baking
bread is fantastic.
6 This is helpful
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JM
JAMES M.
10 months
Thank you for the recipe! I made the loaves today, and the flavor and texture is terrific! I only have a
round baking stone (inherited), so I baked the loaves 1 at a time. The second loaf appears slightly taller;
other than that, no difference. --Linda S. (wife)
1 This is helpful
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JR
JUDITH R.
11 months
Thank you America's Test Kitchen for providing me with a recipe that works for my favorite bread. I
made it yesterday and am thrilled with the results. My loaves were crispy, holey, chewy - just perfect.
Could I substitute half whole wheat flour?
1 This is helpful
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RP
Russell P.
12 months
I was wondering if you could use a sourdough starter for the biga. If so how should this be done? My
sourdough is equal flour equal water. Could i just substitute the sourdough for the biga and follow the
rest of the recipie?
0 This is helpful
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PM
Peter M.
about 1 year
Made today. Flavor is fantastic. I did have a couple of big holes though. I used whole milk but it was
cold, not room temperature. Could that have caused the holes?

2 This is helpful
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MF
MARYBETH F.
about 1 year
Great recipe! I only have a large round pizza stone which is too small to accommodate both loaves in
the oven at the same time, so I let the loaf on the left rise again after poking it into the 10x6" final size.
It raised a bit higher in the oven. Both were delicious though :) Also, my loaves only took
approximately 17-18 minutes total to reach 210 degrees.

3 This is helpful
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SL
STEWART L.
over 1 year
First try. Insanely happy. Let the sponge go full 24 hours taste is great. This was a lot of fun to make.
7 This is helpful
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EB
Elisa B.
over 1 year
Here is my first try at ciabatta bread, I used ATK recipe & my Cuisinart bread machine. Followed the
ATK recipe for the biga & bread; missed all it one folding after kneading the bread & it looks good
except there is probably some BIG holes as 1-2 places are very tall. Smells great though & I'm sure will
taste good.

2 This is helpful
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Keith Dresser
Elisa B.
over 1 year
Looks pretty good Elisa!
0 This is helpful
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MB
Mirta B.
over 1 year
This ciabatta bread made it at home took me to heaven thank you to share it with us easy to make very
positive results

2 This is helpful
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