Okay, enough with the inaugural tie-ins. Here's the promised ciabatta video recipe. It came out beyond delicious. It was other-worldly, sublime, ethereal, and several other adjectives I would have to look up before using.It was the perfect marriage of a crisp, light crust outside, and a chewy, yet tender inside. The no-knead part is just a bonus, and only adds to the perfection of this loaf. As you'll hear in the video, I'm a bit under the weather, but even at half-speed this was a simple and enjoyable task.
All I will say is you really need to make this bread. Pretty soon we'll be thinking of romantic, sexy recipes to seduce our Valentines with. Keep this video in mind, for what could be better than having someone bake you a fresh loaf of Italian bread, then slowly buttering and feeding you a still warm slice?Sorry, I think I took too much cough medicine. Enjoy!
Ingredients:
4 cups bread flour (I used 3 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup wheat)
*Note: you can use All-purpose flour if you want
1/4 tsp yeast
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
459 comments:
1 – 200 of 459 Newer› Newest»Bee-you-tee-ful!!!
So, how do you spell what your family calls the end of the loaf? That part we always called the heel. I can't quite understand what you're saying.
Anyway, I've made the first no knead bread many times and I always get this open mouthed reaction,"You MADE that?" Thanks for this recipe.
By the way, I've let this bread rise as long as 2 days and it's still great.
Thanks again!
Jackie
it's hard to spell phonetically, it's sort of like CON-DOHTZ or CON-DOATS
Love the bread but also had to tell you I bought, on line, a pair of the MOZO shoes for my 41 year old son for Xmas. He loves them and very impressed that they are "all" leather, very rare these days. Look good enough to wear anywhere, to any function and so very comfortable. If anyone of your followers wants a great shoe go into the MOZO shoes website. Thinking of getting a pair for myself.
That does indeed look like a magnificent loaf of bread. I will try and make it this weekend. BTW, my family always call the end of the bread 'elbow.' I guess it makes sense.
Yup. Nasal congestion always turns me on.
'Condotte' apparently means 'pipelines'. Not sure how that applies to bread.
Would this recipe work if I halved the ingredients? Would the baking time also have to change?
"strandified" LOL
How you doin'?
That's an absolutely beautiful bread. I think I'll try it out for dinner this Saturday!
So, it's not essential to weigh the ingredients out for this recipe?
doing well, how are u guys? I dont weigh, that's why I a bad baker! This is a foolproof dough, no need to weight unless you want to.
you can halve, will cook about the same time. a little less
I love bread - but I've never made it. Now you, and your sexy voice, have inspired me to try. I am really afraid if I am successful, that by Valentines Day I will weigh an additional 10 lbs. Yikes! This is not a pretty thought!
Our family refers to the end pieces as the crust. Since there's crust all over the outside of bread I have no idea why we say it about only these two slices.
"by Valentines Day I will weigh an additional 10 lbs." more to love
Chef
Room temp to me is about 72 at this time of year, (Florida). Is this still a good temp?
thats fine
I'm curious. I've made the no-knead several times. The first time I made it, it went for 18hrs and 3hrs on the second rise. It came out spongy and moist, my favorite loaf so far.
Then you did one, and said 12hrs for the initial rise, so I figured it probably doesn't matter as long as it's between the two times. However, I have never reachieved that same spongy moist bread as the first one. I had attributed it to everything from temp, to yeast, to amount of water, but could not get it again.
My question is, do you think it's the time, or the amount of water that gives it it's ciabatta-ie goodness?
Thanks for any guidance, and hope you feel better.
our breadheads can chime in, but I think wet dough is the biggest factor, although the longer wait probably develops more gluten, so that also's a factor.
OMFG;; that bread its so sexy, but chef i read about never put directly the yeast with the salt beacause the salt kill the yeast and in your video you do that?
and a question,
¿like i use fresh yeast and i dont want to buy the dry one, how many i have to put of fresh yeast in this recipe, thanks chef for this recipe,
first, watch your language!
second, did it look like it killed the yeast?
third, I've never used fresh yeast so I'm not sure.
I'm no baker, but the recipe as shown works beautifully, alter at your own risk! ;)
Hi Chef John,
I've got an oven that can bake with steam - do you think it's worth a try or should I rather bake it without the steam function?
i would try it. I always have a pan of water in the oven.
I represent a consortium of Italian carpet slipper manufacturers and we are outraged by your denigrating our fine products.
oh sorry chef for my language i forget that.so but that recipe its so c00l im gonna tried this tomorrow.
and thanks for the answers, i never wanted to be rude with you
thousands sorrys chef.
and.. last question of today,
like i dont live on uniteed estates i dont know about the cornmeal, in wikipedia says what with thecornmeal is made the tortillas, but... the flour what is made the tortillas isn't is like yellow.
can you help please chef?
cornmeal is a course grind and corn flour is much finer. you can use flour if u have to. btw i was kidding
This looks delicious - thank you for sharing! One question: do you think I could make this with whole wheat flour? Thanks!
sure, it will just be wheatier.
Hi Chef John,
I love all your bread recipes and have been dying to test them out! However, I cannot seem to locate corn meal where I am located. Would it be ok to just sprinkle the baking pan with regular flour?
Is the only difference between regular no-knead bread and ciabatta the fact that this dough is moister?
I think they are the same except I called it ciabatta! ;) They both have the same flour water ratio.
the longer flatter shape technically makes it a ciabatta
sure, or just use a silicon baking mat. The cornmeal just adds some extra crunch to the bottom crust.
Polenta or grits could be used if cornmeal is not availbable.
Luisa Vacaville
Hey, how're you doing? (Don't have a cold, by the way, so won't sound as sexy as you do)
Love the way the bread puffed up in the oven!
Could you be kind enough to tell me what kind of white flour you used for this batch? All-purpose or bread flour?
I've made many batches of no-knead bread, but seem to get varying results depending on the type of flour i use. What do you recommend?
I know it sounds crazy, but I like bread flour for bread. But, I've use both kinds and had success,so I've not noticed a huge difference.
Wow..., that was fast! Thanks for getting back to me so quickly.
Yes, I prefer bread flour too, as the extra protein/gluten seems to add more chewiness.
I will definitely try this recipe with bread flour.
Thanks once again!
I just dumped the dough out of the pan onto the plastic film, but I forgot to flour it first. So I tore another piece of film, floured it, then got most of the sticky dough to release from the first one. When I tried to move the loaf to the pan, using the film, it folded in half and stuck to itself. I opened it, and tried to piece together the top with some of the dough that was still stuck on the film. What a mess I've got going here! My raw loaf looks like a patched wall. While it's "resting" during these next the two hours, I'm hoping it heals itself so the patched marks aren't so evident, and although it's before noon, I think I'll have a glass of wine. I'm a nervous wreak. (more of my disastrous results to follow...) Maybe I send you a picture of the results. Maybe not.
nervous wreak? you do realize you're just making break, right? You're not defusing a bomb. The wine may help.
Wreck is what I meant say, (wreak means to bring havoc - so that fits, too) Anyway, defusing a bomb is a good description of my bread making attempt this morning. It's in the oven now, and my fingers are crossed. Maybe my bread will be "the bomb," and I think that's a good thing?
It's done. Not so bad after all, but lots of room to improve. I used all unbleached flour, so next loaf I will try following the recipe exactly. How do you make it taste like sour dough bread?
I took some pictures, but don't know how to include a photo in your comments. And, you were right, it wasn't something to get all worked up over. It was fun, and as soon as I get to the store and buy wheat flour, I'm making another. No wine before the loaf is done, next time.
not sure about the sourdough unless you use a sourdough starter. email the photo and maybe i'll post it if it's not too embarrassing.
You inspired me to make the bread so I clicked on the video and it says sorry this video no longer exists. Do you have it posted somewhere else? Did you take it off?
looks like its fine.
Some ciabatta recipes call for olive oil. Would this method jive well with a tablespoon or two of olive oil in the mix? Anyone tried it?
OO won't hurt anything, but will it help?
Not sure, but I'll divide the recipe into two bowls, one with and one without OO. I'll report back to you tomorrow evening.
Having never made bread but inspired by the stories and videos here, I just made this loaf. Must have messed up the flour/water ratio (though I swear I followed the recipe) as my dough was very wet (not sticky wet, damp wet). Even after the first rise (which was beautiful) it was so soft that it "ran" all over my baking sheet. Ended up being less than 1 inch high, and about the size of a large baking sheet. Yummy taste and texture not too bad but I'll cut the water back to 1.5 cups next time.
Thanks for making me believe I could make bread Chef John!
Food wish:
No-knead bagels? :)
The video works now, so I am going to make the bread. I will take a picture of it tomorrow when I am done.
Thanks so much for these no-knead recipes, Chef John. I've now made your chicken Parmesan, pizza, your wings, the slider burgers. They've all come out extremely well, and all my friends now think I'm some kind of great Chef.
Hooray for deception!
Chef John, if you don't mind I've got another question.
In the recipe it says white flour and wheat flour - I'm a bit confused.
In Germany "white flour" is wheat flour - what is yours?
Do you mean by wheat flour whole grain wheat flour?
not sure. I used regular un-bleached white flour and what the package says is "Whole Wheat Flour" not sure if its whole grain (i don't think so).
i use to think that it is a drag to make this !
but u helped alot ^. -
fab blog@
Hi Chef, thanks for the recipe! I just begin learning to bake bread. I tried your recipe and I got a loaf of similar bread like that of yours--almost the same color, and texture. However, I noticed that the bread I made got a very very hard crust, it's as hard as a stone.I bet I could kill birds with it. I know that there should be a bowl of water in the oven beneath the loaf when it's being baked. I did the same. But it seems not to soft the crust. Can you tell me if it's normal? If not, how can I improve it? thanks a million.
Tony form China
PS. Sorry for the anonymousness. I can't wait for the answer~
yes, hard crust is normal, but usually softens once it sits for a while. The water is not to soften the crust, its to humidify the oven. Thanks!
Hi John, good news, I made another loaf and succeeded!! After the loaf cooled down, I got the wonderful brown, crisp crust outside and soft,moist texture inside! Thank you for your answers! Baking bread is really art!
Tony from China
Chef, do I use all bread flour omitting the wheat? I love fresh baked bread and want to try this recipe.
yes, all white flour is OK
Chef John,
whatever breadk I try to bake, my bread just wont brown. Is there something that can be done with it? I use a conventional oven.
Thanks.
Bhanu
no idea. if the oven is the right temp (and accurate) then the bread has to get brown.It can't not get brown. test the oven temp.
hi chef john! im new to baking and may i know what kind of yeast u are using in this recipe? active dry or instant?
just basic dry active yeast.
just basic dry active yeast.
hi chef, if i wanted to add olive oil into the recipe do i need to cut down on the amt of water? thanks!
no, its the same
do i have to use cornmeal at the bottom when i cook
do i have to use cornmeal at the bottom of the pan when i bake?
it keeps it from sticking and makes a nice crust. I've never tried without, and won't.
ok thank you very much for the info and fast reply
I baked this today and it was absolutely awesome! I used 3 cups of white and 1 cup of wholemeal flour, and it was really really good... have posted the photos on my facebook in case you haven't already seen it.
Basically, all thanks to you everyone thinks I'm an amazing cook, so... keep those videos coming! :)
I just took a peek...fantastic!
Hi Chef, can you use your no knead dough recipe for making cinnimon rolls if you stretch it out or roll it flatter? The nice gooey kind lathered in butter and cinnamon and pecans? Or is this not the right type of bread dough for that purpose?
would taste fine, but not the same as those doughs have eggs, milk, etc. I've never tried those with the non-knead method.
Hi John,
First of all thanks for the great recipe.
The ends of bread are called kontjes in Dutch, which would translate to butts/buttock in english. We also put butter on our bread :-)
Thanks for this no knead bread Chef John! I've made it a few times now and it's great!
Looking close at the video I see a pan in the oven under the bread which I assume has water in it.
Please up date the audio to include that detail it makes a world of difference.
I am making second batch and am using 3 AP flour and 1 semolina.
Should be good.
Dear Chef John,
What's the mininum salt I need to add without impacting the texture of the bread? I am watching my salt intake carefully.
salt is only there for taste, not texture
Does it matter if you use a convection or conventional oven? Which would be better?
Also, if you brush cream over the dough before you put it in the oven will you get a softer crust?
Thanks.
i don't use convection, so I don't know. The cream would make for a darker crust, but not sure about how hard it would be. You should try and report to us.
Hello John,
The bread looks BRILLIANT. I want to bake it right now. But I have fresh yeast only. How much fresh yeast should I use? Does it make any difference? I dont have cornmeal also, so may I replace it with something else? Thank you so much for sharing this.
no sub for cornmeal - get some
also, google "fresh yeast dry conversion" ty
I baked a half-size batch of this bread today and it was fantastic! I have horrible luck making kneaded bread (comes out tough or way too dense), but with this I finally tasted bread success :) I didn't realize before that you were using active dry yeast so I used instant instead and it worked fine. I think you are supposed to use less yeast when using instant but it didn't seem to make a difference for me.
I can't wait to try this sliced horizontally for a sandwich or panini. Thanks so much for this recipe! Tomorrow I'm making the no-knead pizza dough too!
you make me happy
You sound sexy Chef!
And so as the bread.
I'll try this when go back to work.
Thanks chef John!
I ended up with a whole down the center of the bread, cooked great both above and below, but seemed to separate down the center with a large air pocket. Thoughts?
no way to know... try again
This is a great recipe. I have made it twice now, and it is far and away the easiest to bake Ciabatta I have found.
I modify the recipe - and use all white flour, but for a handful of rye flour to give the dough a bit of bite. The flavour is amazing.
I do have one question - the loaf is really, really big. Have you or anyone tried splitting the dough in two prior to proofing to make two smaller loaves? Would the recipe need to change?
I do notice that my loaves tend to get the nice big holes in only the top half... the bottom half of the loaf always tends to have a tighter crumb with much smaller holes. Is this to do with the weight of the dough? Would a smaller loaf help with this, or am I doing something wrong? THe flavor is still good throughout, I would just prefer a more consistently holy loaf!
Great recipe!
Cheers,
GG from New Zealand
not sure about the holes, but you can make 2 loaves no problem, same recipe. maybe cooks a little faster.
I have made this twice and it is now my favorite "rustic" bread. I can't wait to try the "no knead" pizza dough.
I need to take lunch to work and I have been scooping out 6 equal portions of the dough onto two 1/2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
It makes 6 large tastey sandwich or panini rolls.
that's what im taking about!
So chefyou have shone us "no knead" ciabatta and pizza dough.
Can this technique be used for focaccia?
im sure it can, but I haven't tried it yet. It's on the (long) list.
Chef John, thanks for the recipe! When I try this out, I'm thinking about poking some cloves of garlic into the loaf before the 2 hour rise, do you think this would work?
sure, or just eat it with garlic and save a step. ;-)
Hello Chef, thanks for the great video--My dough is on its last 2 hours of rising and i cant wait to try it.
Could i make this dough in advance and keep it in my fridge to bake say within a couple of days or must it be after the 20 hours (total)?
should be OK
Hello again Chef! I had very good success with the Ciabatta, it was very good and me and my friends had a hard time not eating it all in one sitting--I ended up saving some of it and i put it inside a tupperware--I was wondering... is it normal for the crust to soften up after its been sitting? Any way the crust will stay crusty?
yes, it is normal for the crust to soften up. enjoy
Anonymous said...
I ended up with a whole down the center of the bread, cooked great both above and below, but seemed to separate down the center with a large air pocket. Thoughts?
April 9, 2009 11:55 PM
___________________________________
Same thing happened with my bread.
I've been making this bread for a while now and I have found out a couple of things.
1. Forming the ciabatta on a flexible polyethylene cutting sheet makes it much easier to transfer to the baking pan. If you don't have one, they're really cheap and useful. I suppose parchment paper might also be an improvement on the limp, sticky plastic wrap.
2. Different flour and yeast can yield markedly different flavors. I ran out of yeast and wheat flour about the same time and replaced both with different brands. The original combination, Red Star yeast and store-brand flour, made a much smellier (and tastier) fermentation than the replacement, Fleishman's Active Dry yeast and King Arthur whole wheat.
3. Weighing the flour is preferable if you have a scale. By my experience, you need a total of 20.5 to 21 ounces of flour to make a dough that looks and handles like Chef John's. (The variation is based on the weather. Today we have pea-soup fog and I used 21 ounces.)
I just discovered your blog and I love all your videos and recipes...Thanks
I read so much where folks say to never use metal instruments or mixing bowls for bread... yet you do constantly and yours turn out terrific!! What's up with that?
I just don't have any large glass bowls, and yes, I've never had a problem.
hi Chef
i made this and mine wasn't "airy. more spongey inside. what did i do wrong? still tastes good, just not the texture i expected
it's supposed to be chewy and spongy, not dry and airy
Hi chef! I love all your recipes on this blog (: This bread recipe really caught my attention though, i've always wanted to try making bread!
So i actually tried this recipe out last week, following your exact ingredients and i had a problem with the results... My finished loaf of bread had no taste lol! So i was wondering if you used a measuring tool for the salt, or did you just use a regular teaspoon without the leveling off and all... because i actually used an exact measurement of a teaspoon, leveling it off and everything!
I'm in the process of a 2nd attempt right now. I mixed in the ingredients for 1/2 a batch and this time i added 2 teaspoons of salt (accurate measurement once again..) i'm at the 18 hour waiting stage right now and i have a feeling i still didnt add enough salt, lol!
Thank you for all your great recipes! (:
Oh! i'm sorry chef, i also forgot to ask you how long you would recommend me to bake the 1/2 batch? :O Thanks for your time!
I usually just grab a big pinch with my fingers, not an exact science. I have measured exactly before and leveled it off for the written recipe, so not sure. Maybe you are expecting something that this bread isnt? Many rustic Italian breads have no salt. But, if you look at lots of bread recipes the salt amounts are pretty much what you see here.
about the same time, maybe a lit less. BTW, remember people's taste for salt varies greatly. You may be what's called a super-taster
Thank you for sharing your expertise w/us, Chef John. I just need a little more help. You said this dough needed to rise 18 (!) hours and mentioned a room temp of around 65 degrees. Wish that was the kind of temp I'm experiencing, but try 90 during the day and 80 - 77 at night & early morning. How long should the rise be then??? Will be awaiting your answer then it's bake away!!!
it just has to double in size
Hello Chef John,
what type of yeast are using or recommending.
thanks,
Garry.
any dry active yeast works, all the same. think it was fleishmans
Hey Chef John,
First of all this is a great recipe, I've already made it a couple of times before. My question is this, how does this recipe change if I wanted to actually wanted to knead it (i know, i know, it's no longer "No-knead Ciabatta")? Do I just use a full packet of active dry yeast and knead it for like 10 min then let it rise until it doubles in size (maybe about 1.5 hrs)? Really what I'm most curious is the moisture, do i need to use more or less water, etc.?
Thanks in advanced,
Dave
not sure how I would adapt this. I would probably look for a standard ciabatta recipe to follow.
This recipe is awesome! My first attempt at ciabatta bread was a success...Thanks Chef John:)
Hi Chef John,
I've made this recipe a few times and was wondering if there is an easy way to get a taller result? I was thinking about trying a more confined bake pan and seeing if the bread gets more of a vertical rise. Any suggestions?
Thanks a lot , great recipe.
u can try, but i say just let it be the shape it wants!
How do you recommend storing the leftovers with this bread? Plastic bag it in the fridge or just cover it on the counter? I guess I should rephrase 'if there's leftovers.'
Thanks Chef John
i use a plastic bag
Hi Chef,
I've tried several times making the bread and the dough never looks like in the video. in the video it seems a bit firm when you handle it. i always get a liquid dough that almost doesn't rise and is impossible to work with. i use measuring cups and spoons, so i don't think its the quantities. maybe its the room temp? its the middle of the summer here. if it is, what do you recommend ?
Thanks,
Benny.
bread is all feel. If it's too wet to work with add more flour at the beginning.
Hi Chef John,
Just wanted to say thanks for the fast reply. I did as you said and added more flour (1/3 of a cup did the job. Thanks to you i'm becoming famous around friends and family for my bread making.
Thanks again,
Benny.
ive tried making this recipe twice and both times it didnt rise when baking. the dough looks exactly like the video so what am i doing wrong. Could it be my oven is too hot/too cold?
I assume you are using the same temp as me for the oven, so I have no idea!
Wonderful bread John! I've been making bread for the past 40 years and this one is the best and easiest I have ever made, thank you for the recipe.
In Andalusia, Spain, where I'm originally from, we call the heel of the bread "canto" which, phonetically sounds very much like the way you pronounce it. In my impoverished Country, after the Civil War and W.W.II, a canto of bread to which we made a hole in the center and filled it up with olive oil, was a real treat...
Tried this bread. After 30 years of baking bread I should have known better. 18 hours created glop. Could have used it to start sour dough starter but ciabatta. No way.
bob, you gave up! did you see the video? It's supposed to be glop. Did you see mine? You just got scared and stopped and missed the magic. DO you think we all faked these loaves to mess with people? People have sent dozens of photos to me u can see on the site. Stop thinking and make this bread
I grew up in Sicily, and a few times a week we would walk to the meat market and get prosciutto and provolone panini on ciabatta ... and I have been trying for over a decade to make the real deal. I have tried many a recipe and I have never found the right one. And now, sitting on my stove is a bowl with a beautiful "blob" of dough that I have to wait what, 20 or so hours until it is out of the oven ready to eat! I hope it turns out as beautiful as yours looks, if you have given me back my "meat market panini" I will love you until the day I die! (And I am young.. ish) :o)
BEAUTIFUL!!! OK this wasn't the same exact texture I was wanting it to be, I wanted the inside to be a bit more chewy(maybe if we had let it set a few minutes it would have helped, we had it eaten within minutes of it coming out of the oven). It was such a wonderful bread that I have another batch rising... I think the thing I loved most about it, it is completely do-able, with as simple and mess free as the recipe is I will make it a few times a week at least. Thank you for sharing it!
I love this bread, but would like to get a bit more tang, like sourdough...do you think I could add half the liquid in the form of greek yogurt?
half may b too much, maybe 1/3
I used Gold Medal all-purpose flour and the loaf seemed to be flatter than when I used bread flour. I switched because Safeway had a sale on Gold Medal All-Purpose ( 5 lbs for $1.50, it's still on sale). The height of the finished loaf is only about 2" high. When I used bread flour it was much higher.
Suggestions please..............
Bogey Man, stop using all purpose flour. I always use unbleached flour from Wheat Montana and I grind hard winter wheat berries, also from Wheat Montana, for the whole wheat mix and my loaves rise wonderfully.
The recipe on top of this page states:
Ingredients:
4 cups bread flour (I used 3 1/2 cup white and 1/2 cup wheat)
*Note: you can use All-purpose flour if you want
1/4 tsp yeast
2 cups water
1 1/2 tsp salt
can you make a sourdough version of this bread? and how much starter would you need?
Hi Chef John,
I've recently discovered your blog and love it!
I have a question that you may not be able to answer but here goes. So I don't have a proper oven but a large-ish toaster oven, my fear is that the bread will burn before it gets to fully bake. So the question is can I bake it on a lower heat for longer?
Thanks.
Ok so I was way to eager to wait for an answer and made my bread anyway. I ended up baking at the same temp for 45mins and just covered it with foil for a bit so it wouldn't burn. It turned out really well but the crust was really hard, perhaps i should've baked a bit less? I also only did half quantity.
sorry, traveling thus week, hard to keep up. Glad it came out. I like thick crust, and it will soften after a day.
No problem, figured you must be a busy man. I love a thick crust too was just wondering if I did something wrong. Thanks for the reply.
Just baked this and it's wonderful. Just curious though....can this be put into a bread loaf pan? If so, I'm sure I'd have to grease and cornmeal all sides right?
Never tried a loaf pan. May not work. Only one way to find out.
I baked today no-knead ciabatta with grounded oat (1 cup oat, 3 cups wheat). It's delicious, even better than than rye/wheat ciabatta. Thanks for the recipe!
Hai,
the flour - is the the high protein or plain wheat flour?
is it OK if I use instant dry yeast?
Many thanks in advance
I love this bread. Now on my 20th loaf at least. I would like to be able to cut it in my bread slicing gizmo, but the loaf is too wide. I found a loaf pan on Amazon that measures 16 X 4 X 4.5 and also one that is 14 X 6 X 4.5. I imagine the latter would be the one to use.
But before I order it I am checking if any one had any experience doing this?
I have made this recipe on three different occasions, over the last year, and every time it is an ABSOLUTE success. I feel like an Artisan Baker has been to my house and then I realize it's me. Thank you for de-mystifying the process.
This has become my favorite bread.
I "brown bag it" to work and my fellow workers are always envious.
I am now going to try to make proscutto bread by flouring lightly cooked proscutto pieces and mixing them in at the last minute before baking.
Will let you know how it works.
Chef John, I wanted to include your No-Knead Ciabatta bread in a little recipe booklet for a class I am teaching on soups and breads. I will give you credit and also reference your website/blog in the booklet. Can I have your permission to use this recipe in this way? By the way, I love it! So easy and beautiful! Everyone who has tried it has said it was delicious! Thanks,
Sincerely,
Jana Darrington
FCS Agent
USU Extension - Utah County
100 E. Center Street, L600
Provo, UT 84606
801-851-8468
Sure, go for it! thanks!
Dear Chef,
I have never baked bread before but am eager to learn. Could you please explain about the water in the bowl, that is to be kept in the oven? How much, what kind of bowl & so on...
Thank u!
EXL
the water just keep the oven humid and help form the crust. Just put an inch of water in a pie pan and you're good to go. enjoy!
thank you for what you do ... you're one of the best in my book! Happy New Year! [it's still January ...]. wanted to tell you that reading your interactions w/your followers always makes me smile ...thank you much for being so patient w/all of us!
Hello Chef, love your stuff. I know that proper italian ciabatta has a bit of olive oil in it (my granpa was a baker). Have you tried it with some olive oil?
Thanks
i have. i make it lots of different ways
Just made the dough. Can I use a pizza stone to cook it on? If so do I need the corn meal?
Lover your site.
Tammie
yes, and yes!
yes, and yes!
Thanks Chef, I made it without olive oil to be consistent with the recipe and it turned out great! It is missing the bit of pepperines that a good olive oil brings, so tomorrow I am making it with oil. Any suggestions on the proportions of water and flour if I use 4 tablespoons of oil? Thanks Chef, I love your site and your recipes. Just to let you know, I proposed to my wife a yer ago, after cooking a meal, which I finished with your molten chocolate cake ;)
Hi, Chef John. I'd like to make a few small ciabattas with olive chunks. At which point can i split the dough and when do i add the chunks? Thank you very much.
after the first rise
Hi John - My fist Ciabatta is cooling on a wire rack in the kitchen a I write this. Wow! Just a few years ago, I didn't even know what a Ciabatta was, and today I made one, thanks to you. I thought about it a lot before going in, and decided that I could shape it on a Silpat pad on a cookie sheet rather than on plastic wrap. That worked out wonderfully, so I do recommend doing it that way. Thanks again for yet another great recipe and video!
Hi chef john! i just made my bread and it was awesome! im not a baker cause i hate to measure but this i will take the xtra step and get my measuring tools out! its amazing and just like my mom makes without the hard work of kneading for hrs! lol Only thing i might do is add more salt and throw in some caraway seeds to give it the rye bread feel since im from europe its all about the rye bread in my house! THANK YOU THANK YOU for this recipe! now i can enjoy my "moms" bread!
Do you have a cookbook out?? if you dont and plan on doing one then make sure theres pics of all the food i only buy cookbooks if theres pics in it lol! thanks!
wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for this blog. reading your answers always brings a smile ...
Chef, what will happen if i leave it to rest up to 24 hours? is that still okay?
not sure, should be as long as its not too warm
Chef, after two failures with other ciabatta recipes, I tried yours and it worked! Only thing, my bread did not rise as much as yours. I know it is not supposed to be real high. The bread is delicious, crunchy crust and soft on inside; however, the holes are very small. What did I do wrong?
nothing was wrong. Keep making it and it will be a little different every time.
Divine. The best white bread I've ever made. Just awesome. In Estonia we have the tradition of making 100% rye bread - that's what we call "bread". You know, with sordough. I'll send you a picture.
Wow! Just made the bread, and it all turned out exactly as you said, from mixing the dough to forming the loaf to eating the delicious thing!! We live in Denver, so I was worried that the higher altitude might have an adverse effect. It didn't, and we are enjoying slice after slice right now!
Hi,
This comment if for Bhanu, that said its bread doesn´t get brown.
Remove your bread from the baking sheet 5 or 10 minutes before the baking time ends and turn it upside down on the upper oven rack.
I had the same problem and this worked just fine.
I apologize for my english but I'm writing from Guadalajara (land of Tequila)
I hope you can try this, good luck,
Regards,
Claudia.
Chef John,
Thanks for the wonderful recipe, i tried it and it came out well. Could you pls tell me the difference between sourdough bread and ciabatta, is it just the shape or the recipe is diff?? If the recipe is diff would you pls consider making sourdough bread, that will be great help for novice bakers like me.
Thanks in advance.
I know this video was made some time ago but i'll still comment on it. I have always avoided making bread because it seems that it needs a lot of work and it can be ruined easily. The bread looked beautifull, can't wait to try it at home. Thanks chef!
So close but I failed!
I used slightly more wheat flour than you did, I did 3 cups AP 1 cup whole wheat.
I also threw in some dried herbs.
Everything was going wonderfully until I baked it. And looking back I realized what I did wrong. I put my oven at 450 instead of 425. The crust must of formed too early constricting the bread and stopping it from rising too much.
Do you think that's what happened?
The little flat bread I have taste great though. But very crunchy/crusty.
no telling, bread is a mystery, make it a few more times and see what happens
Hello Chef John,
Just discovered your site and I must say then I spend the better part of the day yesterday on your site. Your stuff is amazing and I couldn't wait to try out the no-knead bread myself, so 18+2+cooking time later and I now have this amazing bread. The taste is wonderful and the crust is to die for, so thank you for a fantastic recipe, I can't wait to try out some more!
I'd really love to try this bread ! Ever since a year ago when I did my first attempt at making bread I was very disappointed because after all the kneading and shaping and waiting of the dough - I took it out of the oven, it smelled wonderfull I was incredebly happy and...it was raw ! Yes perfect on the outside - raw on the inside. It's because of my oven - it is incredebly hot (even when I lower it !) and it's 100% NOT acurate...now everytime I bake something it has to be under the foil for the whole baking process and then I remove the foil and the top is done in like 5 minutes (this is on a lower then the heat that it's required ...)
The problem is that recently I made a traditional Bulgarian bread called pitka under a foil and it came out incredibly beautiful but with the texture of a carpet...but then again that might have happended because I let it rise for a whole day (with kneading) Something urgent came up :(
So I really want to make this no knead bread but I don't wanna wait 20 hours and then come out with somethig like a carpet...Because I AM going to use foil , there is no other way with my oven...it's either that or RAW bread :(..
What's the problem chef John ? The foil or the overising of the dough?
@Hiratana: you probably didn't mean to, but you gave me a good chuckle! your struggles w/the oven reminded me of when i tried to bake in my toaster oven ... due to the closeness of the heat rods [even when the setting was at "bake" the upper rods would heat up] i used foil after the first disaster. i, too, have left dough unattended due to an emergency and got a blob as a result. so, you must learn that you cannot "ignore" your dough AND the length of time is ONLY TILL IT HAS DOUBLED! i live in a warm climate so my dough usually will double in just over an hour!!! a hint i learned that will help you know when the bread is truly done [a pro like Chef John can just hear that - i don't trust myself] is to use a meat thermometer & get a reading of 190. you should then be able to enjoy a lovely loaf. good luck!
Sorry, but I'm not sure I have any advice for you. Not really sure about your setup.
@Hiratana: sorry, forgot to note that 190 is in Fahrenheit
I love this recipe. I've made it twice for my family, and its so good. Its especially delicious the next morning, when the bread it toasted. Yum!
WOW!! this is great recipe. It was so easy and tasty!!
Awesome recipe.. but what if I want to make a bread that's a little sweeter? would sugar mess up with the yeast and make for a terrible bread?
Sure go for it, no problem
I just made it today, as per the recipe (but all white flour) and it came out beautifully; good crust, chewy, almost bakery standard.
Thank you.
I just took my first loaf of Ciabatta Bread out of the oven. Unfortunately, it was not your recipe, which is how I found yours - looking for a better one. I am going to try yours this coming week! Thank you for posting this!
HI Chef John, just wanted you to know I found your site from watching your videos on You Tube. Wonderful place you have here! I'm a bread baking newb, so I decided today (about 30 minutes ago) to give this one a shot. Well...one thing I have to point out that I'm not sure others caught but, in the video you say to use warm water, but the recipe just says water. I've made white bread before and know you have to give the yeast warm liquid to start off in, but I simply read the recipe and dumped in faucet temperature water like a total...well..newb. I have my dough sitting for the 18 rest period, and praying like crazy that I haven't messed it up and totally ticked off the yeast by not giving them their warm bath they crave. Anyways, will let you know how it turns out. Thanks for your hard work sharing cooking magic with the rest of us!
Hi Chef
Ive made your ciabatta twice now, both times it taste wonderful and has great texture. Im using 1/2 wh wheat bread flour and 1/2 all purpose white.
I put 2Cs of wh wheat into the bowl with the salt, yeas,t and water, mix it up then add the rest of the flour. This way I know the yeast and salt have gotten incorporated. (inc!) I guess next time I'll add a bit more flour as I got one huge flat "slipper" big enough for two big italian feet (sort of a snuggie for feet!), but it spread out not up! And tonight we get to eat it with some homemade cheese from your recipe!I couldn't find my thermometer so I tried curding it by watching bubbles as you said, but when I added the lemon juice + nothing! SO I put 'er back on the burner and brought the temp up and when it got to the correct temp it curded right up!
Love your recipes, thanks so much!
Is there a place online where the steps are written out?
Thanks! some are here, but you have to search around. http://americanfood.about.com/
hey chef, I left the bread the full 18 hrs to rise and it looks just like yours did and it was gluten strandified but it was impossible to handle and shape, sticking to everything, despite all the flour and oil. What could I have done wrong because I followed the recipe exactly.
Nothing wrong! It's very wet. You just have to use lots of flour and get a loaf shape somehow. U can try more flour at beginning also.
Nothing wrong! It's very wet. You just have to use lots of flour and get a loaf shape somehow. U can try more flour at beginning also.
Hi Chef,
i tried your bread 2 times, taste was perfect but somehow my bread wont rise.it is much more flat than yours (mine is maybe 1.5 inch high) so a third of the bread is crust :)
maybe i should try another flour, i used all purpose and 1/2 cup wheat but somebody wrote here that it is not a bad idea to use special bread flour.or should i just wait 2 1/2 hours before i put it in the oven or should i just die trying :D
bread is a mystery. did you follow the directions exactly? Not sure what you mean by "should i just wait 2 1/2 hours before i put it in the oven" how long did you wait?
like you said in your video, 2 hours.
and yes i did follow the directions exactly.i think i will try i different flour.
Sandwiches seem to taste so much better on something other than plain old sandwich bread. So I started looking around for a ciabatta bread recipe and found you! I tried this recipe 2 days and it turned out beautifully. Such a large loaf - I hoped it would last a day or two. Between my husband and kids, there was nothing left by the end of the day. I'm going to make more today but make several smaller loaves this time in hopes that it will limit how much they eat at one time. ;) Thank you so much for sharing this. It was so easy, so good for you (as opposed to store-bought/factory-made), and so much cheaper than buying it. I could pay $3+ for a loaf this size at the store or pay $1.50 for a bag of flour that will turn out far more than just 1 loaf of bread. Thank you! (Sorry no pic - it didn't last long enough.)
Kris, for the second raise the 2 hours is just a guess. It could be ready in 1 1/2 or 4 hours, you just have to wait until it rises a little more I think. The flour may help, but I've done with AP many times.
Thx Chef John, you are the best :D
Just wanted to report back that the bread came out great. Didn't rise as much in the baking, but still for my first try I was quite pleased. Makes wonderful sandwiches. I will certainly be trying this recipe again. Thanks Chef John!
ok i tried it again with the same result.it wont rise.this time i waited 4 hours before i put it in the oven and i used bread flour. somehow my dough is also more sticky, its almost impossible to work with.i will continue to try, next time maybe with little more yeast and maybe little less water.
Can this be baked on a stone rather than a cookie sheet? Thanks!
sure!
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