Sourdough Ciabatta – Is this a real thing?

SOURDOUGH CIABATTA ROLLS

Yes! Let’s investigate this yummy combination. We will start with a sourdough starter, and then add lots of water to create a ciabatta dough (yes, it’s sticky!) and then make these yummy rolls.

What is Sourdough Starter?

Sourdough starter is a cultivated culture of billions of microorganisms that live in happy harmony. Yes, they are microbiology and a completely natural living organism. They consume fresh flour and water and create the basis for sourdough bread. When the microorganisms eat, they release CO2, the air that fills your bread and makes those wonderful holes between the gluten strands. Combined, these make the interior crumb of a bread.

What is Ciabatta?

Ciabatta is a traditional Italian bread made from a high hydration dough from high gluten bread flour. The high water content results in it’s signature open, airy crumb. The second interesting thing about ciabatta, is it’s characteristic shape. Usually, it is long and narrow, which incidentally, give the loaves their name in Italian – Ciabatta, which means “slipper” in Italian. In my recipe, I recommend cutting the dough into 12 rolls. However, you could cut the dough in half or in threes and make two or three more traditional ciabatta loaves.

Enjoy making and baking these little ciabatta loaves of heaven. They are worth the mess of handling a wet dough. If you bake this recipe, please post a comment below and share the recipe via your social media, it helps others find my recipes. Thank you and happy baking, Friends!

Ciabatta

Christina

Always use high gluten flour for this recipe. This is a wet dough recipe (high hydration). Resist the urge to add more flour when mixing and folding. Wet hands with water to prevent dough from sticking to hands while folding. Sprinkle flour liberally on the bench, dump dough out and flour the top before it is shaped and cut into squares.

5 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Resting Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Course bread

Cuisine Italian, sourdough bread

Servings 12 Rolls

Equipment

• Electric Mixer with Dough Hook
• Bowl/Container to proof dough
• Bowl scraper
• Bench Scraper to cut dough
• 2 Flat Baking Trays
• 2 Sheets Parchment Paper
• Metal Cake Pan (to fill with water in the oven)

Ingredients

  

Mix

• 550 g Water 100°F – 110°F
• 238 g White Sourdough Starter Fed within the last 24 hours
• 8 g Yeast

Add & Mix In

• 85 g Whole Wheat Flour
• 12 g Sea Salt
• 2 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Add & Mix In

• 650 g High Gluten Bread Flour adjust flour +25g as necessary

Instructions

 

SCALING INGREDIENTS

• Carefully measure all ingredients using a digital metric scale.

MIX

• Add Water, Starter and Yeast into mixer bowl. Place bowl on stand mixer. Mix on level one just until yeast is dissolved.
  
• Add in Whole Wheat Flour, mix on level one until incorporated. Add oil and salt; mix until dissolved.
  
• Add in Flour. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes until dry ingredients are hydrated. Switch to speed two and mix for 4-5 minutes.
  
• Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure all ingredients are mixed together well. Continue to mix until all ingredients are incorporated.
• Dough is at the right consistency when it is a well mixed/wet sticky dough that sticks to the side of the mixing bowl, creeps up dough hook and sticks lightly to fingers when touched. If dough is too wet, add high gluten white flour in 25 gram increments and continue to mix until the right consistency is reached.
  

BULK FERMENTATION

• Pour dough out of mixer bowl into a well oiled container, scrape out remnants using a bowl scraper. Cover. Allow to bulk ferment until doubled.
  

FOLDING

• FOLD #1: Once doubled, wet hands and fold dough from outer edges to center, 8-10 times forming a loose dough ball, flip over so the folds are at the bottom. Cover. Allow to bulk ferment until doubled (time depends on temperature of the kitchen).
  
• FOLD #2: Once doubled a second time, wet hands and loosen edges of dough. Reach under center of dough and lift up until it comes out of the container. Lay dough down folded over itself (like a book). Repeat 3-4 times until the dough has some structure and is in a loose ball. Allow to bulk ferment until doubled (time depends on temperature of the kitchen).

BENCH REST

• Heavily flour the work surface. Gently dump dough out onto the flour. Very gently shape the dough into a rectangle by putting hands under the dough and stretching from the center outward. Cover the top of the dough with flour and loosely with a towel. Bench rest for 10 minutes.
  

SHAPING/CUTTING

• Using a bench scraper, cut dough into twelve 3 x 3 in. (8 x 8 cm) squares.
  
• Very gently place six rolls on each baking tray. I suggest using parchment paper to ensure the rolls don't stick when baked.

FINAL PROOF

• Allow rolls to proof for 10-15 minutes until light and airy (they will look like pillows).

BAKING

• Place a metal cake pan full of water in the bottom of the oven. Preheat oven to 400°F/200°C.
• Once rolls are proofed and oven is filled with steam, place rolls into oven.
• Bake for 10 minutes, rotate pan, continue to bake 10-20 more minutes until lightly browned.
  
• Quality Control: Finished rolls should be light, airy, and about 4 in x 4 in in size, 3.5-4 oz. in weight.

COOLING & PACKAGING

• Allow rolls to cool for a few minutes before serving. Store completely cooled rolls in an airtight container or freeze for up to three months.

Keyword Ciabatta, Easy sourdough, Italian Bread