Chewy Ciabatta Rolls Recipe
This easy ciabatta rolls recipe makes soft and airy ciabatta with a golden crispy crust. These chewy rolls have a larger crust-to-bread ratio, with an open, airy crumb, so are perfect for toast or sandwiches. Toast your homemade rolls for breakfast and slather them with salty butter and raspberry jam!
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time20 minutes mins
Resting Time3 hours hrs 40 minutes mins
Total Time4 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Course: Bread
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegan
Servings: 4 large rolls
Calories: 257kcal
1 large baking sheet
1 large baking pan
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 240 grams room temperature water (approximately 1 cup + 1 Tablespoon)
- 300 grams bread flour (approximately 2 ¼ cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
In a small bowl, dissolve instant yeast in room temperature/lukewarm water. Stir to combine, and let it sit for 2-3 minutes. The mixture should create small bubbles.
In a large mixing bowl, combine bread flour and salt. Pour in yeast mixture and stir until well-combined using a fork or large spoon. Make sure you scrape down sides of bowl so that there are no bits of flour or dough left behind. Your dough will be very wet and sticky.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen, this may take less or more time.
Stretch and Fold:
Wet your hands and begin the stretch-and-fold process: Grab one edge of your dough and stretch it up and then towards the center of the dough. Rotate bowl and repeat this process with all four sides of your dough. It shouldn't take more than 1 minute to fold all 4 sides. Cover with plastic wrap and let dough rest for 30 minutes.
Repeat this step 3 more times, every 30 minutes, for a total of 4 stretch-and-folds (totaling 2 hours). Your dough should be doubled in size after this step.
Shape the dough:
Transfer dough to a floured surface (your dough will be very sticky). Sprinkle top of dough with a small amount of flour and shape it into a rectangle by gently pulling the dough from underneath. We want to be very gentle during this step so as not to deflate our air bubbles that we just spent time creating.
Place parchment paper on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with all-purpose flour.
Roll the dough into a log and press the edge to seal. Divide the rolled dough into 4 equal parts (or 8 if you are making dinner rolls) using a bench scraper or bread knife, and place each piece onto floured baking sheet (using a bench scraper or sturdy spatula will help with this step). Let the dough rest uncovered for 40 minutes.
Bake the rolls:
Fill a large baking pan with water and place it in the bottom of your oven. Preheat the oven to 420 degrees F, and allow it to create a steam bath in your oven.
Spritz rolls with water (not necessary but will help them along) and bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and nicely crisp on the outside. Let rolls cool completely on a wire rack before using.
- Add steam to your oven. Place a baking pan with water on the bottom of the oven. This helps to create a crispy crust on your rolls. If you can, try and place it slightly off to the side so that it's not directly underneath the rolls while baking.
- Your yeast mixture should become bubbly and foamy. If this does not happen, double check the expiration date on your yeast, and try again with a new packet of yeast.
- Weigh your ingredients using a (digital) kitchen scale. This ensures accuracy when baking. It's not necessary, but very helpful.
- Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Because our rolls are super fresh and don't contain any preservatives, storing them on the counter is not advisable.
- Recipe adapted from Ahead of Thyme.
Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 584mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 2IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg