Easy Homemade No-Knead Ciabatta Bread

Name: Easy Homemade No-Knead Ciabatta Bread
Prep time: 3 h
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 3 h 30 min
Yield: 8 small ciabatta rolls (calories per roll)
Ingredients: 500 g Strong white bread flour (about 13% protein); 430 g Lukewarm water; 9 g Salt; 7 g Dry yeast; 20 g Extra virgin olive oil; as needed Extra flour for dusting

Homemade ciabatta is easier than you might think. With a high-hydration dough, two simple stretch-and-fold rounds and a final coil fold, you can bake eight crisp, golden Italian rolls without a mixer or traditional kneading.

The dough is intentionally wet and sticky (86% hydration). Handle it gently during shaping to keep the beautiful air pockets inside.

Why this easy no-knead ciabatta works

Strong white bread flour helps the wet dough hold its structure. Short warm rests between folds create strength, while gentle shaping preserves the open, airy crumb.

What to serve with ciabatta

Fresh ciabatta tastes wonderful with olive oil, soups or as a sandwich. Try my mortadella and burrata ciabatta sandwich with homemade pesto for a delicious Italian-style lunch.

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Bread & Pastry

Prep time
About 10–15 minutes active work

Cook time
25–30 minutes

Total time
About 3 hours 15–30 minutes including resting and baking

Approx. calories
260 kcal
per serving

Ingredients Instructions Video Tips

Ingredients

Choose your units:

Ingredients (for 8 small ciabatta rolls (calories per roll)):

Strong white bread flour (about 13% protein): 500 g
Lukewarm water: 430 g
Salt: 9 g
Dry yeast: 7 g
Extra virgin olive oil: 20 g
Extra flour for dusting: as needed

Equipment

Container with a lid

Kitchen scale

Spoon or sturdy spatula

Dough scraper

Baking tray

Parchment paper

Clean kitchen towel

Cooling rack

Vasko’s Tips

Use strong white bread flour (around 13% protein) to support the very wet dough.

An 86%-hydration dough is sticky by design; do not add extra flour during mixing.

Keep the oven switched off during proofing; it should be gently warm, never hot.

Wet hands help when doing the stretch-and-fold and coil-fold techniques.

Handle the dough as gently as possible during shaping to retain the air bubbles.

The exact proofing time depends on room temperature; look for visible expansion.

Let baked rolls cool slightly on a rack before slicing.

Instructions

1. Mix the dough

In a container with a lid, briefly mix the salt, strong bread flour and dry yeast. Add the lukewarm water and stir with a spoon until no dry flour remains. Add the olive oil and mix again. The dough will be wet and sticky.

2. First rest and stretch-and-fold

Cover and place in a gently warm, switched-off oven for 30 minutes. Gently lift one side of the dough, stretch it upwards and fold it toward the centre. Rotate the container and repeat around the dough. Cover and rest warm for 30 more minutes.

3. Second stretch-and-fold

Repeat the same gentle stretch-and-fold technique. The dough should be smoother and more elastic. Cover and rest in the warm oven for another 30 minutes.

4. Coil fold and final rest

Slide both hands under the middle of the dough and gently lift. Lower it and let the ends tuck underneath the dough. Cover and return to the gently warm, switched-off oven for another 30 minutes.

5. Shape eight ciabatta rolls

Dust the dough with flour and carefully turn it out onto a well-floured work surface. Gently stretch into a rectangle without squeezing out the air. Dust the top with more flour, cut into eight rectangular pieces and transfer with a dough scraper to a parchment-lined baking tray.