Ciabatta Rolls
Crisp-crusted Italian rolls with a chewy, open, airy crumb and a fruity olive oil flavor. The high-hydration dough is mixed with a spoon and built with simple folds, so there's no kneading.
- Prep
- 32 min
- Cook
- 22 min
- Wait
- 3 hr 5 min
- Total
- 3 hr 59 min
- Makes
- 8 rolls
Steps
Before you start
- Read the timeline: about 4 hours from start to finish, but only about 30 minutes is hands-on.
- The dough is very wet (80% hydration) and sticky. This is correct. Keep a small bowl of water nearby to wet your hands, and don't add extra flour to the dough.
- Weigh the flour and water with a kitchen scale if you can. Cup measures vary a lot with this dough.
- Use a metal baking pan or cast-iron skillet (not glass) for the steam, and clear the oven racks so a sheet pan fits on the middle rack and the steam pan on the bottom.
Mix the dough
- In a large bowl, stir the lukewarm water, instant yeast and 2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil together.
- Add the 500 g bread flour and the fine salt.
- Stir with a sturdy spatula for about 2 minutes, scraping the sides, until no dry flour remains and you have a wet, shaggy, sticky dough.
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Ready when: No dry flour pockets remain and the dough looks like thick, sticky batter.
Tip: Water hotter than 110°F (43°C) can damage the yeast, so check it by feel. It should be barely warm.
Rest the dough
- Cover the bowl with a towel or plastic wrap and leave at room temperature (about 72°F / 22°C) for 30 minutes.
- This lets the flour hydrate fully so the dough becomes stronger with very little work.
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Ready when: The dough looks smoother and slightly puffier than when mixed.
First fold
- Wet one hand.
- Reach under one edge of the dough, stretch it up until it resists, and fold it over to the opposite side.
- Turn the bowl a quarter turn and repeat 3 more times, for 4 folds in total.
- Cover and rest.
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Ready when: The dough tightens into a rounder mass and a few small bubbles appear.
Tip: Stretch gently. If the dough tears, stop and let it rest a few minutes.
Second fold
- With a wet hand, repeat the 4 stretch-and-folds, turning the bowl a quarter turn between each.
- The dough should feel smoother and more elastic.
- Cover and rest again.
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Ready when: The dough holds its shape a little more and feels bouncy.
Third fold and rise
- Grease a second large bowl, or the same bowl wiped clean, with 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil and transfer the dough to it.
- Do a final set of 4 stretch-and-folds, cover, and leave for 45 minutes.
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Ready when: Dough has roughly doubled, is domed, jiggles when the bowl is shaken, and shows large bubbles at the sides.
Tip: If your kitchen is cool, the rise may take up to 20 minutes longer. Judge by the dough, not the clock.
Shape the rolls
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment and dust it with a little of the dusting flour.
- Generously flour the counter.
- Gently scrape the dough out without deflating it and dust the top.
- With floured fingertips, pat it into a rough 8×10-inch (20×25 cm) rectangle, about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
- Using a floured bench scraper, cut it into 8 rectangles (about 115 g each).
- Lift each one, stretch it slightly to about 4×3 inches (10×8 cm), and place it on the parchment with 2 inches (5 cm) between rolls.
- Dust the tops lightly with flour.
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Ready when: Eight evenly sized, slightly rustic rectangles with bubbles still visible.
Tip: Handle gently to keep the air bubbles. These create the open crumb.
Proof and preheatOven 450°F / 230°C
- Cover the rolls loosely with a towel and let them proof for 30 minutes.
- About 15 minutes into this time, place an empty metal pan on the bottom oven rack and put another rack in the middle.
- Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C).
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Ready when: Rolls look puffy and a floured fingertip pressed in leaves a dent that springs back slowly.
Tip: Let the oven heat fully, with the pan inside, so the steam is strong when you add water.
Bake with steamOven 450°F / 230°C
- Slide the baking sheet onto the middle rack.
- Quickly pour 1 cup (240 ml) boiling water into the hot pan on the bottom rack and shut the door right away.
- Bake at 450°F (230°C) for 20–24 minutes, rotating the sheet front to back after 12 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown.
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Ready when: Deep golden brown crust, hollow sound when the bottom is tapped, and 205–210°F (96–99°C) inside.
Tip: Wear oven mitts and stand back when pouring the water. The steam is very hot.
Cool on a rack
- Transfer the rolls to a wire rack and cool for at least 20 minutes.
- You may hear the crust crackle as it cools.
- Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Ready when: Rolls feel light and the bottoms are no longer steaming.
Tip: Cutting too early makes the crumb gummy and the crust soften.
Good to know
Tips
- Wet your hands rather than flouring them when folding. Flour sticks to the dough and tightens it.
- Don't press out the bubbles when shaping. Large holes are the signature of ciabatta.
- A baking stone or steel preheated for 45 minutes gives a crisper bottom crust. Slide the parchment with the rolls onto it.
- Check the internal temperature with an instant-read thermometer for fully baked, not doughy, rolls.
Make ahead
"For better flavor, after the third fold cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 8–16 hours. Shape the rolls straight from the fridge, proof 45–60 minutes at room temperature until puffy, then bake as directed."
Storage & reheating
"Room temperature: keep in a paper bag for up to 1 day, since the crust softens in plastic. Freezer: wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen at 375°F (190°C) for 10–12 minutes, or refresh room-temperature rolls for 5 minutes at 375°F (190°C) to re-crisp the crust."
Substitutions
- bread flour → all-purpose flour. Use 480 g all-purpose flour and reduce the water to 380 ml. The crumb will be a bit less chewy.
- instant yeast → active dry yeast. Use 1½ tsp (5 g) and dissolve it in the lukewarm water for 5 minutes before mixing.
- extra-virgin olive oil → neutral vegetable oil. Works fine for the dough but you will lose the fruity olive flavor.
- fine sea salt → kosher salt (Diamond Crystal). Use 1 tbsp (about 10 g by weight is best) as the crystals are larger. Weighing is more accurate.