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:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 400 of 459 Newer› Newest»Great recipe. Thank you. I have made it twice ( half batches) since I saw it a few days ago and it will be a regular for me from now on.
I had the same problem as many others in that the loaf was flat, only about 1 1/2 inches high, but I found a solution to that problem for the second batch.
I make all my bread and have a special pan (check this website)
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/bread-pan-italian
that I bought several years ago for making baguettes.
After the 18 hour rise, I cut a 7" piece of parchment paper ( 11" width) to fit the curved pan, and used it on the sprayed counter top instead of plastic wrap. I oiled it,sprinkled with corn meal, and turned the dough onto it to shape. It was then easy to lift the paper into the curved pan for the final rise, then baking. The parchment paper does not burn. The loaf size when baked was about 12" long and oval, about 2 1/2" by 3 1/4".
If you do not wish to go the expemse of the special pan, a substitute might be a V-shaped adjustable rack for cooking fowl, if you have one. Perhaps some balled up aluminum foil would smooth out the bottom of the V - the parchment has some rigitity.
I find that 30 minutes at 425 gives the internal temperature of 190 -200 degrees F required for complete cooking, so use an instant read thermometer if you have one.
Don
i dont really get what u mean by "warm water"..how u know its warm..i mean how u test it..or what temp. or u microwave the water???
i am eager to try this recipe =]
just warm like bath water. 100 degrees maybe.
hola, chef. i made this recipe some time back. thought it was beautiful but a tad on the tough side. next time, i will try making it with bread flour instead of regular flour. i love your website.
hey chef i live in Thailand and temperature here is around 30-34 degree celcius. should i shorten the rise time down?
Not sure how hot that is, but maybe a little less. You'll have to experiment or check other breadmaking sites for info on hot weather baking. God luck!
Chef John, "condohtz" might be a form of "cantuccio" which is how you say the heel of the bread in Italian. The immigrants had slang too, and often slurred syllables and left the ends off of words...for example "capa tosta" (stubborn, hard head) was pronounced in dialect "capadost", dieci (the number 10) pronounced "deech","stai zitta" (be quiet!) was pronounced "stata zeet", a type of pasta.... pieces of broken lasagna noodles "lasagne a pezzi" was "zagna-petz"...I could go on as could anyone who grew up among the Italian immigrants. I would bet that it went something like this... cantuccio, candooch, condohtz...what do you think??? Plausible? "Complimenti" for your site, it is wonderful!!!!
thanks!! i think you nailed it!
Chef John, I've been baking bread for years so when I tried yours and after the 18 hours it was just a bubbly bowl of soup, I thought what on earth is this. :) Ciabatta is my favorite bread so I told myself I wasn't giving up. The first time I did exactly as your video (even to the time of the day I started) and all looked well until the next morning. So yesterday, I started again. I mixed it up around 4:00, around 9:00 I peeked at it and lo and behold it had already tripled in size. T thought oh well, I'm gonna have to go ahead with it or end up like the day before. So I poured it out on the prepared pan, covered it and 11:00 I put it in the oven. 30 minutes later the most beautiful loaf of bread you ever wanted to see.......was just as beautiful as yours :)!! The next morning I slathered the butter on with my homemade peach jam and I thought I'd died and gone to heaven! The crust was crispy, and the inside chewy and light as a feather!!!! In my fist attempt think it was because everything was too warm. My second attempt I used a meat thermometer to test the water, used a plastic bowl rather than my stainless steel and set the bowl next to an air conditioner vent. Thanks ever so much for this great recipe. Kathy
Chef John, I tried the bread again yesterday. This time it was perfection!! However, this is what happened. I mixed up the dough around 4:00, looked just liked the photo. I peeked at the dough around 9:00 and lo and behold it had already tripled in size! I thought, well, after what happened the first time (a bowl of soupy yeast dough), I'm gonna have to put it on a pan and bake it. So I put it on the prepared pan, covered it and gave it the 2 hr rise. It looked just like the photo. At 11:00 I put it in the oven. 30 minutes later, it had risen about 3 inches and was the most beautiful looking bread I've ever seen!!!!!! It looked just like the one in the video and the taste, absolutely supurb!! The crust is crispy while the inside is chewy and light as a feather. Just delicious. I really don't understand why the rising is so fast. This time I used a digital thermometer to make certain the water wasn't too warm, used a plastic bowl rather than my stainless steel and set it next to an air conditioner vent. Anyway, thanks for your recipe and your help. Now I can have ciabatta bread daily!! Kathy
Hello Chef John from down under (Australia, not the other down under). Made the bread and it works great but you already know that. Just letting you know it works just as good in the southern hemisphere.
Hi,Congratulation for your wonderful recipe!I've tested it today and the result is as expected,the greatest!
Greetings from Hungary,Europe!
Eszter
What type yeast did you use? Most no knead recipes use Instant yeast but I have Active Dry so can I use that instead? If I do, do I just add it in the flour like you did or am I supposed to dissolve it in water first? And do I use the same amount or more?
i thought all active dry yeast was instant. Not sure. I believe it will work the same, but you may want to check with a bread site, since I've only used the yeast you see in the video.
Hey
I followed your clear instructions and my bread came out perfectly. I have no questions as none are necessary thanks to your erudite instructions and work-along video. Thanks for sharing.
Hey, me again.
Thanks for the clear, erudite, concise info.
I like the fact that I could make this using a regular baking sheet that I bought at Walmart for $5 instead of an expensive pot (Cruset(sp?) for $130, which I couldn't afford. When I've bought bread at Pancera, I could taste the butter in it which makes it great. Can I add butter to your recipe and if so, at what point?
Hey, me again.
FYI:
Instant yeast=no premixing with water needed because it activates in the dough.
Active Dry yeast=premix with warm water to activate before adding to dough.
not sure about adding butter, never tried! Never understood the butter addition, when you can eat with...butter ;-)
Tried it with AP flour and questionable yeast. Not very good. Bought some bread flour and whole wheat along with fresh yeast. Big difference. I can't wait to see this one. And it's got a beautiful color to the dough since it's unbleached flour.
Got it right on the second attempt. It's a big hit in this household. I'm about to go for my second piece!
i added 2.5 cups flour cos it was so dry and very hard to mix. Is it OK?
by the way, what can i use instead of cornmeal? Thanks Irene
No real sub for cornmeal. Maybe bake on parchment paper. Also not sure less flour is a good idea. It will mix if you keep stirring.
Hi Chef John! Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I tried it and it turned out good, though I feel like it's a little heavy. Is it suppose to be that way? Also, what is the proper way to store this bread? Thanks again!
not sure what you mean by heavy. Did the inside look like my photo? It's not a light or heavy bread really.
I usually just keep in a plastic bag.
it doesn't have as much holes. looks like it's more compact on the inside compared to your photo. thanks!
I just made this and it was so easy & delicious! I let it rise for 18 hours and then ran short on time for the second rising -- only let it sit about 30 minutes before sticking it in the oven. It was still delicious, just probably could have been bigger, I guess. Thanks for the great recipe - I will never knead again!
Good recipe, but baking is chemistry and ingredients vary. I weigh my ingredients; in particular flour and yeast. 1/4 teaspoon of yeast? If you use granulated active dry yeast (Fleishmann's) a full teaspoon is the equivalent to 1/4 tsp of powdered yeast. I also prefer bread flour, more glutan means more crunch and texture.
Boy, I make the bread just as described in the recipe, and it comes out fine (yes with a 1/4 tsp of yeast).
"If it works don't fix it" is my motto.
Fantastic and amazingly simple recipe. For my third bread recipe ever, I'm fairly stoked at the results. I pointed friends to your video via my own blog post here: http://adventure.codyjbennett.com/2010/10/no-knead-ciabatta/.
I hope others find this recipe as great as I did!
Regards,
-Cody
Chef John, you had me at hello! :)
Hi Chef John,
I have a huge problem- I love the idea of the recipe so I tried to make it 3 times ! - Huge Failure
My main problem is that after all the waiting my dough is just so wet ! When I have to shape it I feel like I am pouring out pancake dough and it doesn't rise at all in the oven ! It is very glutenus but why is it so wet ? What do I do wrong Chef?
use a little more flour, and watch the video again!
Dear Chef John!
I tried to leave a comment but it did't look like it worked so if I am repeating myself please know why!
Thank you soooo much for your teaching videos and wonderful blog. I have been hooked on your cooking videos ever since I stumbled upon them a week or more ago.
The most life changing videos you have are about "NO KNEAD" bread and pizza dough. All my life I have loved cooking, sewing and drawing but a neuromuscular disorder that I was born with called Spinal Muscular Atrophy type 3, meant loss of over all muscles. I am now 44 and as my husband says "walking is overrated" so having a power chair for my "legs" and gals to assist me to live independently and a dear husband who has wheels for legs too but has strength so he now does the cooking under my direction mostly - makes life fulfilling and awesome.
God of course gives me all blessings.
And I have to say discovering your no-knead methods have blessed me with a new independence I haven't felt ever. I was never able to knead bread ever, even when I had stronger arms. I tried begging my strong armed husband to learn to knead so we could make our own pizza and bread, but he had a hard time stirring cookie batter and is not a "cook".
Excited to leap into the "kneadless" world, he came home with a new big jar of yeast and fresh whole wheat flour and bonus was, I was able to mix the entire bread dough all by myself! It was some work for me, but it was so rewarding! And I even added more wheat flour and it still turned out awesome!
Today, he and I have been making the kneadless pizza dough and the Ciabatta recipe. We set off the screeching smoke alarm because the corn meal was burning but that was my fault for not removing the piles in the corner of our sheet pan. So far so good!
My latest tweaked ciabatta bread has just entered the oven. I have added a lot of ground flax and whole flax as well as more whole wheat flour and olive oil for fun. I figured if you could use it in the pizza dough, it would be okay in the bread. As the charred cornmeal odor wafts out the window and our home is filled with baking bread, I look forward to my second batch of kneadless bread, all thanks to Chef John!!
My husband is trying to understand why being able to make bread by myself when I could never do that ever before is such a rewarding thrill and a feeling of independence...he's not a cook. But I think you can understand, being one who loves to cook. So thank you for enriching my life with one new simple method that I never knew about!! I have been telling everyone!!!
Look out kneadless world here I come!!
Keep up the great work.
We love you Chef John!!
Anita and Craig Berglund
Thunder Bay, Canada
Thanks so much for this. I loved the Jim Lahey/NYT version, but was never that crazy about carrying a 500 degree cast iron pot around the kitchen. Your technique produces bread that's just as good, and a lot safer.
Thanks again.
Condotes... My grandfather, a Sicilian imigrant, used that word when referencing his back end! And often in not so nice ways!!! So I'm guessing that's the coloqual slang for the "butt" end of the bread! :o)
So i tried this a few times now but it doesn't really pan out... I live in Jamaica and we have about 85 degree room temperature and the only flower I can get is bleached all purpose flower - oh, and I didn't use baking sheet cause I don't have it so I've been baking in disposable alu-trays (bad-bad I'm sure). When letting it rise for 18 hours it comes up and falls right back down to a very wet consistency. I tried it for 12 hours and caught it while it was high but still no rise to speak of in the oven, and the dough was still more wet than yours in the video. Can you help me with suggestions and adjustments to the mix so it can work in Jamaica?
It's suppose to fall after the rise, and be very wet. Then you shape into loaf and let rise again before baking. Are you letting the loaf rise before baking? Check vid again to be sure u r not missing that step.
Dear chef John,
Thanks for your very fast feedback! I did all the steps like in the video, I actually had it running on laptop right next to me while making it lol. Well, all but the corn meal under the bread, just used flower.
So you don't think the higher room temp. during rising or lack of baking sheet has an effect? (It barely moves during the second rise) If not I'll just add some more flower like I see you suggested some other fellow newB's. But very happy with your approach and vids, they got me starting on things in the kitchen I never figured I'd get close to.
The pan would make no difference to the rise, and a hot climate is better for rising, so that's not it. Try more flour. good luck.
Chef John, I have followed this recipe to the letter 4 or 5 times and I love it. In fact, less than 1 hour ago, I just made another batch.
It's simple, and easy... and delicious! I made a fresh loaf for some friends who came over for dinner, and everyone loved it!
I love your website and your Youtube videos and I will, over time, try more of your recipes. Thank you!
Well Hello there Chef John!
Here I am declaring my love to your blog that I'm checking for about a year now...
I just tried your no knead ciabata bread since I have moved to Qatar (I keep moving...:() and I didn't bring my KitchenAid with me..
I'm Originally Moroccan and We can't live with daily fresh bread and that is not quiet what I would find in Qatar..This Ciabata with 0 efforts is just what I needed. My husband who is a difficult Welsh to please is already asking for the next one..And since we are in that..do you have any no knead recipe for french baguette?
All the best!
I meant we can't leave WITHOUT fresh bread..lol..
Hi Chef John, May I ask what type of yeast I should use? I have rapid rise yeast at home in package....Can I use that?
yes!
Thanks again for another great recipe. Made this last week. Am planning to make it again for Xmas eve dinner. How would it be if I added some rosemary and olives to the dough. Wishing you a great holiday season.
I love the recipe. Bread turns out great every time. I did modify the process a little though. I don't place the dough on a plastic wrap then flip onto a baking sheet, i put it directly on the baking sheet from the mixing bowl then shape it. That works fine and make things a little more simple. Thanks again for a great recipe.
Hi Chef!
First, I wanna say how much I LUV LUV LUV your site. I tried doing your ciabatta recipe and the crunch outside and soft and chewy on the inside is perfect...except that my bread didn't rise as high as yours and it didn't brown evenly. It's got patches of dark brown. I used a convection oven with the fan on & with top and bottom heat. What could have gone wrong?
Thank you!
Regards,
Aria
Chef John
My favorite bread in the world (please don't make fun of me for this) is the bread they serve at the Macaroni Grill restaurant.
Is this the same kind of bread? (looks like it)
What herbs would I put in to make it taste like the aforementioned bread?
btw: Never cooked in my life until I found your blog three weeks ago. Thank you Thank you Thank you!
sorry, not familiar with them. You should just make this anyway! ;-)
This is a great recipe that I keep coming back to time and time again. And I think you can do a lot of things with it. I like topping mine with sesame seeds. I've tried with different proportions of whole wheat and white flour, and I've also tried adding cheese to it which worked out nicely.
I have been trying to bake artisan bread at home for nearly a year now with no real success. When I saw your recipe I was skeptical but since it is very easy I gave it a try. I made the bread today an it was sooo good I almost had a heart attack from the excitement. It was crunchy from the outside, soft and airy from the inside and smelled heavenly and all my family enjoyed it . I am so glad I came over your blog. You are my favorite now. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK. I will be making this bread many many more times.
I have always loved ciabatta bread. A friend of mine buys if for me everytime I go to visit. Now I can make my own, and now realize not breadmachine recipe here....lol....so easy. Can't wait to make my own and enjoy it whenever I like...thank you so much. tlcquiltnut
As of today count me as another successful ciabatta bread maker. Came out great. Thanks chef.
Been making this bread for well over a year and love it, but there are times I would prefer to have it a bit lighter. Would adding more yeast do this? and if so how much more.
You said you hoped the word for the end piece was not a swear word, but you swore twice in the video.
You used God's name in vain (3rd commandment) which is worse than just a profanity.
You sound like a funny guy, with a good sense of humour. Too bad you feel the need to abuse the name of God.
Which kind of yeast do we use here?
active dry yeast or instant yeast ?
Thanks! cant wait to make it
I used dry active. Enjoy!
I tried this recipe 3 times. Organic bread flour and regular bread flour. Active Dry yeast (tested) and Dry Active Yeast (brand new) also tested.
All 3 were flat.
I bake a lot of bread from scratch without a single problem. This recipe seems to be either missing an ingredient, or the portions are incorrect.
I followed the instructions and ingredients to the letter. It is the only bread recipe I have tried that did not work.
I don't what to tell you, other than the recipe always works for me and literally hundreds of viewers I've gotten comments and emails from. Nothing's missing. This video was not faked! ;-)
Check out these links with photos that people sent in using the recipe.
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2008/11/more-no-knead-success-from-rosko.html
http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2009/01/couple-of-foodwishers-ciabatta-success.html
I'll assure you that this bread is almost impossible to screw up. I've been making this bread for over a year now, with no failures.
Hi Chef John:
I have two questions for this bread recipe:
1. What is the water temp that you add in? Can I use just tap water?
2. I know you use just regular dry active yeast, but I only have instant yeast on hand, can I use it instead? If so, is it still 1/4tsp?
Thank you!
Jia
like 100 degress. should work, but i forget how they are different. you may want to google.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe, I'm going to make it this weekend!
I am very, very excited to try this bread! I swore to my friend, who proclaimed that ciabatta is very difficult to make, that I'd bake some this weekend. Your video calmed my fears that I had agreed to more than I can handle!
Just a few questions: I don't have bread four, but I DO have a bag of wheat gluten (for making seitan!). Can I add some gluten to my four to make "bread" flour?
Also, I'm a huge whole wheat fan--would it be ok to use mostly whole wheat?
cant answer the 1st quest., but u can just use reg flour
adding more wheat will make it denser, so maybe for your 1st attempt stick to the mostly white flour.
I have made the ciabatta bread yesterday. What a beautiful, crispy outside, and air-bubbled bread!
I am baking various types of bread from scratch for couple of good years already, but this one was a real artisana one! Even better tasting than from the local french patisserie!
Thank you a lot, chef Joan!
I'm a big fan of your blog from the time I've discovered it last week.
Eva from Montreal, Canada
Your "condote" might be canotto, which is a boat. My family calls it something similar, and the ends of freshly made bread do tend to look like little boats.
Hi Chef, just found your blog here. I tired no-knead bread using thermal pot but yet to try on my oven (before seeing your video). What's the temp to use as my table top oven heat max is 240? Advice pls. Thanks
A beginner to bake from Singapore
Hi Chef, what would happen if I replaced the unbleached white with whole wheat flour? How wo9uld the change affect the taste, texture, & cooking process.
Regards,
Jessica
Chef John, need your help.
My 1st attempt resulted in a hard crust, soggy inside, and a flat shape. What can cause such an outcome?
(1) too much water?
(2) not enough yeast?
(3) too much folding/string of the dough?
(4) Oven too high or low?
Where to look for the root cause?
Regards,
Jessica
I assume you used the temp I said, so that's not it. Wouldn't be 2-3. Could be the water amount, but there is no way to say from here. Bread can be a mystery. It's worked for many, so keep trying!
chef John, thanks for responding. I'll give it another go this weekend. Meantime, more questions for you. :)
What is a good height for the dough (a) after shaping (b) after 2nd rise (c) after baking?
Asking because I can't really tell from the video.
I never bake bread in my life. Watching your video inspired me to do so. Hope to improve and expand my efforts with your guidance.
Have a nice day.
Jessica
Hi Chef, hmmmm could you advice?
What's the temp to use as my table top oven heat max is 240? Advice pls. Thanks fm Singapore
220 degrees i think
Chef John,
In your pumpkin no-knead recipe, you reformed the bread (made into package and flipped) after the rise. And then you made it into a round ball shape rather than letting it look like a slipper. Can we do that here with this ciabatta recipe? Or is the dough too different to do that?
You can shape anyway you want! :-)
So I became extremely excited when this super easy recipe came my way. This was quickly extinguished when I learnt that our oven only goes up to 250 degrees and not 425 degrees as per your instruction. In the sweetest voice....help.
My family calls me a kitchen disaster for a reason. My mom, all her sisters and brothers, and my grandma are all bakers and chefs. One even teaches at a culinary school! On my dad's side, everyone's a great cook! My dad still makes everything from scratch, including stock and tomato sauce, and my granddad has a published cookbook. Me, I'm the one who exploded a can of condensed milk, burned a saucepan of water and baked a dry, unsweet rock using my grandma's award-winning moist chocolate cake recipe. Imagine my surprise when I tried this bread recipe and it was actually good! I guess I could say it's me-proof! Thank you so much!
Chef john,
i really wanna try to make this bread but i have a few question. firstly, i am living in hong kong, and now its summer. the room temperature is about 84F, what can i do as your room temperture is 60 sth. secondly, can i let it rest over 18 hours? will it be over rise?
thanks so much for answering my question. btw, you are amazing:):)
should be fine!
Chef John
You've used 1/2 cup of wheat in your recipe. Was it wheatgerm or wholewheat flour?
Thank you.
Flour!
Now I know why the shape of those rising bowls are important.
Chef John how are you still commenting on this 2009 post, along with all your other comments on the 500 other posts. Also you comment on the you tube comments. How do you do it all man?
By the way, the bread came out fantastic
Made this bread today. I'm not sure what I did wrong but the crust was really really hard. Any ideas?
Mine turned out beautifully! http://i.imgur.com/6D6zW.jpg
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Chef John, I live in the Caribbean and it's in the 90's in my house. Two questions, one, I can't get bread flour easily, only all purpose and it is not self rising. Do I need to add the baking soda? Two, since it is very hot, would the rising time be much less? Thank you:-)
Dying to try this.
regular AP flour is fine, but NO baking powder or soda!
Not sure about rising time in the heat, may be a little less.
Wow, that was fast, thank you!
Chef John, my name is Rodrigo and i am from rio de janeiro brazil, yes you have people that admire you here also.I am also a graduate from the french culinary institute.I just tried your bread recipe BUT(but is always a bad thing), it was VERY thin and weety.I don t know if in brazil the flour is diferent but i used our general white flour and some wheat(integral flour) in this mix.It was so weety that i even added one more cup of white flour and another one of wheat flour and somehow is still weety and not even close to look like the one you have on the video.
What i did wrong? i will still let it sit for 18 hours and end up all the process of making it and see the results.
I love you and your blog.
I wish I could tell you. but I have no idea!! Sorry
From the Caribbean I made my bread this morning. It was interesting, last night it really did rise, but it was too late for me to form it into a loaf and cover for another 2 hours. I left it overnight and it was not as big as last night, but doubled in size I believe. I had to problems, I knew my yeast was rather old and even though my oven is pretty new, all the numbers have worn off the oven settings. My husband marked lines and the numbers as he thought they should be, so it is possible the oven wasn't quite hot enough. Even with that, I baked it about 55 min. and it came out pretty darn good. Now to buy new yeast and try again. Maybe start early in the a.m. so I can bake it late afternoon or early evening since it rises fast in this heat. Thanks for a great recipe. I'm adding a little olive oil next and rosemary.
So, second time doing it.first time i somehow ruin it and probably made a mistake on the recipe.Like i said it was very weety.But it actually came out delicious but i had to use a mold to bake and the only one i had was in a form of a heart.
This time i used only Ap flour and i could see the diference.it was more like in the video so tomorrow i will bake it and check the results and if turns out good take a picture =P
Chef John, thank you for all your recipes and videos, i got a lot of inspiration from your site.
Good luck! Thanks!
I tried this great recipe and it was just as the video showed it to be. BUT..while it was cooling I went to the store to get some more ingredients to make additional loaves. When I returned my wife said that it just evaporated. Then she changed her story to bread stealing squirrels. Then her friends called me and asked when I was going to make more of Chef John's delicious bread..I snapped and struck her and her friend with something heavy made of Pyrex (tough stuff that Pyrex). When I awoke I was in jail and that is not good but hey the good news is I was allowed to make a few loaves to bring to the Grand Jury (for evidence) and they liked the bread so much they no billed me.
Thanks Chef John!
Dear Chef John
I tried your recipe and followed instructions closely. End result was a disaster. The bread did not rise much, it was a bit sticky. After baking the crust was really too hard. my room temperature here is around 86 degrees. I am going to try again. Any advise?
Thanks Chef John, for a recipe so fantastic and so easy that has almost always been a success for us!
A few comments for European readers:-
1 - 4 cups of flour = 650gms. 2 cups of water is 500mls (half a litre)
2 - Cooking Temp of 425 Fahrenheit is 220 Centigrade/Celsius or 200 with a fan oven.
3 - As Chef John says, this recipe produces CIABATTA bread which is absolutely delicious & about 7cms high. It does NOT produce highly risen, spongy bread - but, who wants that anyway?
4 - MY only disaster was when I kept the dough TOO warm for 18 hours (i.e. not room temp of 15-20C). It was too wet and watery. It still tasted good but was hard and flat.
5 - This recipe is SOOOooo easy. I can now prepare the first dough in 6 minutes and shape it in 4 minutes. And, it can takes hours to savour it with many very appreciative friends!
6 - Finally, another idea I find works great. Instead of plain water, I sometimes make cottage cheese from full fat milk (very easy, too) and then use the 'milk water' (whey) that remains. It adds an even richer taste.
Thanks, Chef John, for inspiring me to do this - after years of procrastination!
our chef!
I tried this recipe was excellent, everything I did as I saw the video, and a counterpart, the bread was distributed at a baking tray statement:
big lottery this bread! a lot of expectations and fail.
the disappointment still trying to recover, but if so, then try again ....
Thanks: briseis.
Hi chef, just made my second loaf. Had new yeast this time and after mixing everything up, the dough wasn't as wet as the first time, but after rising 18 (well over 18 hours this time) it was a very wet dough. I used parchment paper on my baking sheet, so I just oiled that, sprinkled the corn starch and put the dough on it to stay. I also set my oven higher, or so I guess and it only took about 38 min. this time. I also added a little olive oil and rosemary and it is delicious. Sitting on my hands waiting for soup to be done:-) Took a photo, but don't know how to add it here. Thanks for such an easy and good recipe
I just set my bowl aside for the 18-hour rise... can not get enough of this bread. I've baked it about a dozen times or more, and it's perfect every time. Thank you!!
Hi Chef John! I used 3 1/2 cups AP white flour and 1/2 cup wheat. Everything looked exactly like the video until I put it in the oven - and it did NOT rise at all! Tastes OK but only about 1 or maybe 1.5 inches thick. The yeast I used is new and was just fine. Any suggestions? (Other commenters mentioned that AP flour rose less than bread flour, but this didn't rise at all!) - In Missouri
Flour shouldn't make any big difference. Sorry, but I really can't tell you why. Wish I could! Bread is temperamental, but I know the recipe works well from all the positive replies and my own experience.
What type of yeast did you use?? i tried this recipe multiple times and it failed, but thats okay i just really think its because of the rapid rise yeast i use so can you tell me what kind of yeast i should use for this recipe please!!!!
i used Regular Active Dry yeast.
okay imma try it one more time :D
Chef John, I haven't made bread since the 80's when I made a kneaded foccacia. This recipe is just the biz. The first try was a bit hard and flat. I added garlic to the initial mix and then someone told me garlic inhibits yeast doh! And, I think my oven runs hot. So this time I turned it down to 400.. Yeah!
I made ciabatta with rosemary and added some garlic and pepper after it had risen.
I also made ciabatta rolls with white wholemeal flour and bread flour 3.5/.5 and stirred in caraway seeds..
You have turned me into a breadmaker again. Bless your cotton sox!
Hello! What do you mean saing "wheat"? For me wheat is a crop :) I couldn't find any explanation elsewhere :) Would you please comment on this issue.
(posted your pumpkin bread recipe on my FB ;) as liked it much, gonna make it for tomorrow)
If you check Wikipedia for "flour" or google "types of flour" you will have a better answer than I can give.
Hi Chef John,
I've just made a whole wheat ciabatta using your method but for the recipe, I used more whole wheat flour, obviously, and added some wheat gluten. The texture looks a tiny bit like rye bread. It didn't have massive holes but nevertheless, it's soft and springy. Best of all it tasted great!
It's my first time to make it and I'm just so excited!
Many thanks! :D
I just tried to make this, and I let it rise for 18 hours, but when I try to shape it it is way too sticky and watery and won't shape. I'm pretty sure that I put the right amounts in though..
It is really really sticky. Does it look like the video dough after my 18 hours? Add some flour and just throw it on a pan and see what happens.
I am baking mine tomorrow...we shall see what happens!!! I am excited...thanks for the recipe!
can i add garlic powder to make it taste like garlic bread? and if can, when do u reccomend that I added it? together with the flour? thanks chef john!
can i add garlic powder to make it taste like garlic bread? and if can, when do u reccomend that I added it? together with the flour? thanks chef john!
Hi Chef John, I don't do blog but I want to leave a 'Thank you! Thank you! and Thank you!'comment! I am a Chinese lady who knows very little about American (&Western）food and wants to learn more. I've been learning a lot from your website for a while and had made a few successful dishes out of your video recipes! Actually I just made this no-knead ciabatta for dinner yesterday and it was sooooooo good! (flat, too!) My brother-in-law calls it 'turtle shell'! Thank you again for all the wonderful video recipes! I love your website!
Hi Chef,
well i just finished making the dough!!! so we will se how it turnes out tomorow, i will let you know.
Ps.
i added a tsp of honey with the yeast i thought it would be better, well we will just have to wait and see!!!
I showed my mom your video and she said she knew a woman that called the heal (end) of the bread a "canoe'. I guess it does kind of look like a canoe. Your "kondotes" could be the Swedish word for canoe - kanot. http://translate.google.com/#sv|en|kanot
By the way, we just love this bread.
Hi Chef John, I hope you still see this despite the fact that it's almost 2012! Just had the nicest Christmas moment with this beauty of a bread and my impossible to please 'oh-she's-nice-but-you-could-do-so-much-better-with-someone-more-homey,-son' in-laws. :D
MUAHAHA watch how I save Christmas dinner without batting an eyelash or even kneading.
Thanks! :D
- Ella
Oh my! I had tried to make bread awhile ago since me and my kids are a bunch of bread heads, lol. My first attempt was a french loaf that turned out okay, but didn't have the crunchy crust. The second I tried to make some sourdough with starter that I started myself - yeah not so good, at all...
So I wasn't extremely optimistic when I found this bread. I mixed all the ingredients and it was not sticky like your video (thanks for the video BTW) so I simply added some additional water.
20 hours and 35 minutes later my entire house was filled with a wonderfully enticing aroma. Upon taking the bread out of the oven it looked great. I cut into it and....
The crust is so hard! I mean I was so excited for the crunchy crust, but I have to say this was a bit much. Now I'm writing this only moments after taking it out of the oven. Did I bother to let it cool before cutting into it? Absolutely not! But the taste is so good! Anyway I covered it with some foil in hopes that it'll soften up a bit and will eat it again in the morning. Irregardless we will be enjoying the entire crunchy loaf! I'm just wondering if you have any tips.
Also... Do you have any ideas regarding variation of flavors? I saw someone mention honey and someone else mention rosemary, but any other thoughts would be great! Lastly... I am excited to try some more recipes very, very soon! Thanks for your great recipes!
Hi Melissa,
I'm going to make this bread for the first time today. My b-i-l made it for a family gathering last week and we all thought we'd died and gone to bread heaven. :)
He says that as he doesn't like a hard crust he brushes the whole outside with melted butter or margarine and lets it sit for a few hours.
He also adds his own dry herbs at the beginning of the recipe adding just slightly more water to compensate.
You could add dried onions, garlic, rosemary, italian herbs, maybe even hot peppers or ginger, what ever makes you happy.
For people having trouble:
Flour is packaged with about 14% moisture content; however, moisture can increase and decrease depending on the humidity of the environment. A word to the wise: Store your flour correctly. Keep it airtight for best results.
hello chef john im from france and i loce ur website can u please tell me in this recipe how much a cup of lour is in grams and how much a cup of waters is in L...
thank you and keep posting great videos
Love this bread! My mom & I make it all the time. Even my dad and baby brother get into the act on occasion. My most recent batch is 1 c. white, 1 c. dark rye, & 2 c. whole wheat. Yum! We change it up a lot, but I prefer at least 1 c. white in each batch, and if the flour isn't bread flour I add vital wheat gluten. The only thing that did not work was when my dad mistakenly used the pancake mix instead of flour!
Lol!
Thanks for posting the video! Made this with my 4 year old. Came out perfect. We split it into two so we'd have more. Everyone whos stopped by our house really loved the bread.
Chef John,
Man, that's some awesome bread, thanks for sharing that. My wife and I love your site and visit often ... like, way too often. My wife just started getting into baking since we moved to the States last summer from China. She had never even seen a household oven before - as you probably know, baking's not really "in" over there - but she really hit the ground running and loves getting ideas from your videos.
Now usually my wife is the one who makes all the bread but I guess I was feeling a bit like that 2nd string quarterback who, while realizing his team is winning mostly because he's on the bench, still can't help wishing for a shot to make a few plays of his own. So I went for it, and let me say thank you for making me look good ... I'm well aware it's all in the play-calling :)
Anyway, my wife loves getting ideas from your site and if it's any evidence of how much she's watching your videos let me just say I hear her repeating "Hello, this is chef John from Foodwishes dot com with ..." (using all of your distinct voice inflections, mind you) each day more times than I can count! Well, from both of us, THANK YOU for the great recipes that we always know are going to be both delicious and doable. And for all those recipes that we've not tried, at least we're left entertained by the video. 谢谢!
Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoy the site!
Chef John,
I am getting ready to try your Ciabatta recipe. I do make a fair amount of bread, & I want to cut the recipe in half. Would I also cut the yeast amount in half?
Thanks
I'm really not sure! Make a whole batch and freeze half. ;)
Chef John,
I wrote to you yesterday (5:18 pm) & had asked about making half the Ciabatta recipe w/half the yeast. I tried it, & even doing only half the recipe (yeast included), it worked. The only thing I would do a little different is add a little more salt. Other than that, it's chewy & yummy. I will be making it again & trying others of yours.
Thank you
(I'm going to have another piece right now). :-)
Thanks for this fab Ciabatta recipe! One of the best & easiest loaves I've ever turned out.I made it with whey left over from cheese making. The dough rose up & over the bowl! When baked the bread was light, crusty & delicious! BTW: Bread and vegetables are really just carriers for butter!
Leonie - Australia
looks good Claudia! have you tried making German break with sunflower seeds? to make a delicious afternoon break, add some honey. amazing for chicken sandwiches.
Perhaps with your comments describing this bread i.e epherial, etc. Maybe its "Conduits" - as taken from wikipedia meaning(channeling), a means for contact or communication between spiritual realms, energies, or entities. This looks fun to make. I will try it. Thank you.
Hi Chef! What's a good substitute for cornmeal?
Hi Chef John
Love the no-kneading technique but if I want to speed up the process (to make bread on the same day), can I just knead the dough? Or would that require changes to the ingredients?
Do you have regular bread making videos? I tried searching on your website but couldn't find one.
Sorry if this is a silly question as I have never made bread before but this one looks too good to not give it a shot. However, I'm a bit impatient to wait for the next day to bake it...LOL.
Any info you can provide is greatly appreciated.
Thank you for the awesome videos :)
Alex
I just found your fantastic website! I'm a visual learner (some things just can't really be explained through words) and find your videos very informative and entertaining; I feel like I'm right there with you.
It's nice to see how mishaps are no big deal. Like when you transferred the bread dough to the pan. I would have freaked out!!! I can't wait to try this recipe. I love making bread although I'm not always successful. You have inspired me to keep trying.
Keep up the good work! Your casual teaching method is great and extremely entertaining; you make me smile and inspire!! Your dream of teaching a larger audience is helping me achieve mine - to be better in the kitchen.
Hello Chef John--Thank you for sharing this recipe and very helpful video. I just pulled my first-ever ciabatta out of the oven, and its perfect because of the education that you provided. I made the bread specifically for my dear husband as part of our post-Valentine, Valentine Dinner. We just sampled the bread, and it was amazingly delicious!
Made this for the family last weekend, & we all LOVED it! My wife grew up in NY State, & her jaw just about hit the floor when she tasted it. Apparently this is they way they make 'real' bread out east, & tasted just like she remembered.
I've been commissioned by my wife to make loafs for her mom & the rest of the family so they can all enjoy the good bread & the memories.
Thanx Chef John
My husband found your site and decided to make the ciabatta bread. It was SO GOOD; it was HEAVENLY! I have never tasted anything so wonderful. No meal--just the bread slathered with butter. Thanks also for the wonderful video.
Bernie in Arizona
would "all trumps" flour be acceptable in this recipe? its a high gluten flour ive been trying to get rid of lol
Anyone try using semolina flour instead of the wheat? If so, how did it turn out?
John,
18 hours? Really? Really?? From the bottom of your heart, 18 hours???
Can this be baked in a loaf pan?
Wow...I tried the recipee..just finished tasting it...UNBELIEVABLE... I could't believe my eyes and my taste...and this ciabatta is better tasting than the one I buy at the bakery...I made individual ciabattas with the dough.
Now I will try that technique do prepare my regular french bread..I'll see how it goes...
Great job John..Keep it up
Yves.
Can I use 4 cups of whole wheat flour instead of bread flour? Will it turn out the same as yours?
How can it come out the same, when you use different flour? ;-)
Yours will be denser and wheatier.
is rapid rise yeast ok to use? this is my first time making bread. thanks!
very easy recipe this is my firs time making any type of bread hope it turns out goog i prepaired it a little to early so hopefully it wil b ok to rise a few hours longer.
Thank's chef John,i always appreciate your video-recipes,is it here or on about.com ;for the viewers that like a little nutty taste to the crust you can use sesame seeds at the bottom of the pan instead of the raw cornbread if you don't have any on hand... i am sure you'll be pleasantly surprised
Hello! ^ ^ just wondering if we must have corneal at the bottom of the bread instead of wax paper or is it a must? and can you please make french baguette Thank you!!
you can do without, but better with!
So where are the written directions fir the no kneed beer bread. I see the video and the list of ingredients but, no directions
just watched the video and got a question.. didn't made the bread yet, but lets say that after the 18 hours wait, the dough doesn't seems to rise enough. do i wait a bit longer or can i add more yeast?
Just leaving it longer. But it will rise if the yeast is good.
I've baked this bread three times; once on oiled sheet pan, once on a cold baking stone, and the third time in a hot, cast iron, dutch oven.
All three were great; however, the ones baked on the stone were a bit flat; only about 1.5 inches high. Consequently the slices are too narrow to make good bruschetta or sandwiches. My oval dutch oven worked best and made a higher, better shaped loaf.
I poured and scraped the risen dough onto a WELL floured board, folded it in thirds north-south and then again in thirds east-west and let it rise (covered) again for 2 hours. I put it seam side down in the VERY hot dutch oven and baked it at 475F for 30 minutes with the lid on and 15 minutes with the lid off. This time the loaf was 3.5 inches high; perfect!!!
Well Chef John I'm now baking a loaf weekly and preparing to go to 2/week. The more I make this bread the faster the family eats it. This is a quick simple recipe that consistently turns out perfect each time. You've given me the confidence to start baking breads, rolls, and pastries again. Something I haven't done in many years. Betty Crocker move over I'm taking my kitchen back.
Hey chef john! I just finished combining the ingredients and now my dough is resting. I just realized i put in instant yeast..what do i do from here? thank you!
Just follow the video. It's fine.
Just a suggestion for people that didn't get enough rise. You may be fermenting your dough too long. If your home is too warm, 12 or 14 hours might be long enough for the first rise. After that, your yeast might start dying and you won't get as much of a rise. You know the dough is ready when the top is full of bubbles and it is sticky and stretchy.
I made this over the past Easter Weekend... I had to cut the proofing time to 14 hours but it still came out amazing.
We had a reception the day after and both my wife and I looked at each other when we tried store-bought bread... never again!
Fantastic recipe Chef John, two out of two so far (this and the beer bread), I will be adding your website to my favorites for sure
Thanks!
can i leave them for more than 8 hours raise? @_@ ugh i kinda regret doing this one so late -.- at night hmm
Delicious!
My first bread and it's perfect.
Congratulations for this great blog.
:)
Chef John. I LOVE YOU. I have learned so much from you website. Thank you so much.
I make this recipe at least once a week now. I've started adding Honeyville's wheat gluten (1T per cup of flour or 4T into this recipe) to add more protein into the flour and thus a larger rise. It makes a lighter yet still chewy bread which we absolutely love.
Help! great rise after 18 hours, pretty good after forming resting and rising some more for 2hrs.... but barely any oven spring at all! tips?
Chef John I have a question about the yeast. My mom bought instant dry yeast. Is that the same as active dry yeast? Also, the 35-45 minute baking time. Does that already include preheating the oven?
Thanks Chef!:)
Hi Chef John.
I'm going to make a bread tomorrow.Can I add semolina flour instead of wheat one?
never tried, but should work.
Hi I am In Utah were the altitude is above 6000 feet will this still work or will I have to make adjustments?
I live on Utah and was wondering what types of changes you would suggest I do to change the recipe because I live well above 6500 feet. I can not wait to try this recipe it looks like the best in the Internet. Best regards.
Sorry, you'll have to google, I've never cooked at altitude!
This worked great I did it in mutha and it worked so well I will be making this amazing bread for the next couple of days it worked amazing
Would cutting the rising time in half for high altitude baking be good because dough rises almost twice as fast in the 6500 foot region. Would this cause any errors in the bread?
Hi Chef John
Thanks for all your cooking tips on the ciabatta bread we have had some trouble in the cooking but apart from that the bread is fantastic never ever been able to cook such great bread - looks like you cook your bread in a convectional oven - on the bottom tray - I hope this is correct, I am cooking it now again - I have a Blanco Oven which is made in France but it does have fan force, and fan assist plus convectional - when I first cooked it I used the fan assist bottom grill on 220 celsius but the ciabatta looked great on the top but the bread split on the bottom and I found out that the oven was too hot so I am trying convectional oven today without a fan - so just checking what is the best setting on the oven to use for your bread or do I just experiment.
Thanks again for all your tips really do appreciate it will be ba baking those bread rolls next.
You are the reason we love cooking so much I was so glad to discover your site!!
So I JUST made this and it turned out... Horrible. Was there supposed to be a pan of water at the bottom? And mine was spongy and a little denser. What happened?
I always use water in oven, BUT that wouldn't effect the breads texture, only the crust. No way to tell what happened unless I watched you make it!
I always use water in oven, BUT that wouldn't effect the breads texture, only the crust. No way to tell what happened unless I watched you make it!
I made this yeasterday (starting late the night before) and it came out wonderful! I might have added a little too much flour, as I didnt have as many large holes in the crumb, but it will make a great sandwich!
Hi chef John.. BIIIG fan here :D.. This recipe looks SO amazing.. I was wondering if you could add durum wheat flour - would that work or would it mess it up? Thank you!!
i thought most flour was durum wheat!
Here (in Denmark) we have a separate packet for durum flour. It contains more protein and less gluten. Quote from Wikipedia: "Durum in Latin means "hard", and the species is the hardest of all wheats. Its high protein content, as well as its strength, make durum good for special uses, the most well-known being pasta which in Italy is exclusively made from durum wheat."
Sorry, not sure then, since high protien flour is high gluten flour.
i forgot to put salt in my dough! now its on its last half-hour of rising. do i just add it or would that affect the dough?
i forgot to put salt in my dough! now its on its last half-hour of rising. do i just add it or would that affect the dough?
i forgot to put salt in my dough! now its on its last half-hour of rising. do i just add it or would that affect the dough?
i forgot to put salt in my dough! now its on its last half-hour of rising. do i just add it or would that affect the dough?
Never tried to salt and re-rise before, so not sure. Really needs to go in at the start. You maybe able to add some when you form the loaf, but I'd just live with it, and try again!
We loved this bread. Thank you.
The videos are great also. Is there a place where you write the whole recipe, not just the ingredients? I do have to go back and check things when I am making something and a hard copy is nice to have in the kitchen or I guess I can keep running back to my computer. lol
Thanks again.
Hi Chef John,
Love your site, humor and recipes.
Have made dozens with great success! (Thank you so much)
Tonight was my first attempt at the Ciabatta bread. I let it rise for 24 hours (I think that was my first mistake).
The dough looked just like yours in the video after mixing initially and it doubled in size rather quickly.
Like others from warmer climates however, this evening mine looked like a bubbly soup. More like a batter than a dough as I poured it out on the baking sheet.
I was hungry so I baked it anyway after a one hour rise (did not rise any). The bread was 2.5 inches thick at the center with very dense wet interior.
Mine was more like a salty sock than a carpet slipper. I ate it with some butternut squash soup on the hottest day of the year so far (100+ in San Diego).
I will try it again and cook it earlier as several others have done in warmer climates.
BTW the no knead pizza dough recipe is the bomb! Wife and friends absolutely love it.
Thanks for all you do and for bringing joy to so many foodies.
Warm regards,
Stan
I have to ask: Why 18 hours?
need time for yeast to grow and for gluten to develop.
Chef, did you use sifted flour here?
I measured 4 cups before sifting, and the 2 cups water made a thicker dough than in your video.
Another question if you don't mind: In your experience, how important is it to sift the flour for general bread baking?
I never sift flour for bread. You may have packed the cups when you scooped. But it should be fine.
Chef John,
I started this bread recipe on Thursday and Finished it yesterday. It turned out alright, Crust was crunchy and center was soft. But what do you suggest I do to the process to develop more air pockets (the appearance when you slice it)? Mine was denser and not as airy as I'd hoped.
Sorry, not sure!
What's the difference between white flour and whete flour. For me that's just the same thing. Could you please explain? Thanks!
White is bright white refined flour and wheat is tan and is made with the whole grain. Google for details!
You gotta try this bread with the Carrabba's olive oil dip. It's over the top. Use it for when you have company and add fresh garlic (little). The only problem is they won't be hungry for dinner. Make sure you use good olive oil if you have it. Recipe below:(actually I make 1 Tablespoon of everything)
Carrabba's Herb Oil Dip
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon granulated garlic(less)
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (or as needed)
Combine all ingredients, except oil, on a deep plate or bowl. Pour olive oil over it.
I made this twice and just baked it on a baking sheet and it turned out just like yours. Tonight I baked it in two loaf pans, which i had greased and cornmealed, and the bread turned out way different. It was denser and only the top was crusty.
Sometimes I want a higher loaf but now i don't know what kind of pan to bake it in so i get the same crustiness as baking it on a sheet.
Thanks for your GREAT videos! Very informative and entertaining.
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