Sourdough Italian Ciabatta

Ingredients

Active Levain (built night before)

Build this 8-12 hours before mixing the final dough. It's ripe when it's doubled, domed, and passes the float test.

• 10g (2 tsp) ripe sourdough starter
• 50g (⅓ cup + 1 tbsp) bread flour
• 50g (¼ cup) water (room temperature)

Final Dough

Built with the ripe levain the next morning. No commercial yeast.

• 450g (3½ cups) bread flour
• 360g (1½ cups) water (lukewarm, about 85F/29C)
• 100g (⅓ cup) ripe levain
• 10g (2 tsp) fine sea salt
• 15g (1 tbsp) extra virgin olive oil

Total flour: 500g

Hydration: 80%

Pro tip: Use a high-protein bread flour (12%+) for best results. Your levain needs to be at peak activity, meaning it's doubled, domed, and floats in water. An underperforming levain is the #1 cause of dense sourdough ciabatta.

Equipment

Method

Build the Levain (5 minutes of work, then it does its thing overnight)

The levain is your natural leavening. Built from ripe starter, flour, and water, it ferments overnight and becomes the engine for the entire bake.

1. Mix the Levain. In a small jar or bowl, combine the ripe sourdough starter, flour, and water. Stir until smooth and no dry flour remains. Mark the level on the side of the jar with a rubber band or tape so you can track the rise.
2. Cover and Rest. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a loose lid (gases need to escape) and leave at room temperature (72-76F / 22-24C) for 8-12 hours. The levain is ready when it's doubled, domed on top, and passes the float test (a spoonful dropped in water floats).

Wait: PT10H

Tip: The colder your kitchen, the longer it takes. If your kitchen runs cold (under 68F), build the levain a few hours earlier. If it runs warm (76F+), check at 7-8 hours. A collapsed levain has lost its leavening power. Catch it at peak.

Mix the Final Dough (Wet, sticky, and nothing to panic about)

This dough is supposed to be wet. Don't fight it. We're building gluten through time and folds, not kneading.

1. Combine Levain and Water. In a large bowl, add the ripe levain and the lukewarm water. Whisk or stir to break up the levain into the water. It'll look cloudy with some clumps, that's fine. You just want it mostly dispersed.
2. Add Flour. Add the bread flour. Hold back the salt and olive oil for now. Mix with a dough whisk, wooden spoon, or wet hand until no dry flour remains. It'll be shaggy and sticky.
3. Rest (Fermentolyse). Cover the bowl and let it rest 30-45 minutes. This is a fermentolyse. The flour fully hydrates and the gluten starts organizing itself while the levain begins its work on the larger dough.
4. Add Salt and Olive Oil. Sprinkle the salt over the dough and drizzle the olive oil on top. With a wet hand, pinch and fold the salt and oil into the dough until fully incorporated. It'll feel slack and weird. That's normal.

Wait: PT45M

Tip: Your dough temperature matters more than you think. Aim for a final dough temp of 76-78F (24-26C). Cooler water in summer, warmer in winter. Sourdough is temperature-sensitive and a cold dough will drag your timeline out by hours.

Bulk Fermentation with Coil Folds (Four gentle folds, 45 minutes apart)

Sourdough bulk runs longer than yeasted bulk. We're building strength and gas slowly using coil folds, then letting fermentation finish the job.

1. First Coil Fold. With wet hands, reach under the middle of the dough, lift it up gently, and let it fold under itself. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this 4 times total so you've worked all four sides. Cover and rest 45 minutes.
2. Second Coil Fold (Inclusions Go In Here). Same technique as the first fold. If you're adding inclusions (olives, cheese, roasted garlic, herbs), this is the moment. Scatter them across the dough before you start the fold, then let each fold wrap around and redistribute them. See the Inclusions Guide below for prep tips and amounts. Cover and rest 45 minutes.
3. Third Coil Fold. By now the dough should be holding its shape and have visible air bubbles. Cover and rest 45 minutes.
4. Fourth Coil Fold. Final fold. The dough should feel alive, airy, and smooth. After this fold, let it finish bulk for another 90-120 minutes, covered. Total bulk time runs 4-5 hours at 75F.

Wait: PT5H

Tip: The dough is ready when it's jiggly, airy, and has increased in volume by 50-70%. Don't wait for it to double. Overproofed ciabatta dough is a sad, flat slipper. Sourdough bulk takes longer than yeasted bulk, so watch the dough, not the clock.

Divide and Cut (Not Shape) (This is the ciabatta secret)

Ciabatta doesn't get shaped. It gets poured, dusted, and cut. The word ciabatta literally means slipper, and that's exactly what we're after.

1. Prepare Your Surface. Generously flour a clean work surface with bread flour (or a 50/50 mix of bread flour and semolina for extra texture on the bottom crust). Be more generous than you think.
2. Pour the Dough. Gently scrape the dough out onto the floured surface. Don't deflate it. It should flop out as a rough rectangle. Dust the top with more flour.
3. Stretch Gently. With floured hands, gently stretch the dough into a rough rectangle about 10x8 inches. Don't press hard. You want to keep all those bubbles alive.
4. Cut Into Two Loaves. With a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut the rectangle down the middle to make two long slipper-shaped loaves. That's it. No shaping, no tucking, no sealing. The rough edges are a feature.
5. Transfer to Parchment. Carefully lift each loaf onto a piece of parchment paper. Some bakers flip them seam-side up (bottom of the dough becomes the top) so the original bottom shows the floured, more rustic surface. Your call.

Tip: The messier it looks on the counter, the better your ciabatta will be. Smooth, uniform ciabatta is the sign of a dough that was over-handled.

Final Proof (Short, warm, and watched)

Unlike lean sourdough loaves that get a long cold retard, ciabatta wants a short, warm final proof to preserve the open crumb structure.

1. Cover and Rest. Cover the loaves loosely with a floured cloth or plastic wrap. Let them proof at room temperature for 45-60 minutes. Sourdough final proof runs longer than yeasted. The loaves should look puffy and relaxed but not flat.
2. Preheat the Oven. While the loaves proof, preheat your oven to 475F (245C) with a baking stone or steel on the middle rack and a cast iron pan on the bottom rack for steam. Preheat for at least 45 minutes.

Wait: PT60M

Tip: The poke test works here too. Poke gently. If the dough springs back slowly but doesn't fill in completely, you're ready to bake. Overproofed sourdough ciabatta will spread flat in the oven.

The No-Shape Method

Ciabatta is famous for having essentially no shaping step. This is what makes it approachable for beginners and still rewarding for advanced bakers.

Traditional Slipper (recommended)

The classic. Long, narrow, and rustic.

1. Pour, don't dump. Gently scrape dough onto a well-floured surface.
2. Flour the top. Dust generously so your hands don't stick.
3. Stretch lightly. Hands flat, stretch into a rough rectangle.
4. Cut. One clean cut down the middle with a bench scraper.

Ciabatta Rolls

Same dough, cut into 6-8 smaller pieces. Perfect for panini or sliders.

1. Divide. Cut the rectangle into 6-8 equal pieces with a bench scraper.
2. Space them out. Arrange on parchment with space to spread.
3. Proof and bake. Reduce bake time to 15-18 minutes total.

Proof test: Poke test works the same way. Springs back slowly but not completely means it's ready.

Bake

High heat, big steam, fast bake. Ciabatta bakes faster than most artisan loaves because of the thin, flat shape.

Oven: 245°C / 475°F. Internal temperature when done: 96°C / 205°F.

Baking Stone with Steam (recommended)

The classic method. A preheated stone or steel plus a steam pan gives you the best crust and spring.

Equipment: Baking stone or steel, cast iron pan for steam, pizza peel

1. Prep the Steam. Have 1 cup of hot water ready in a measuring cup.
2. Load the Loaves. Slide the parchment with both loaves onto the preheated stone using a pizza peel or the back of a sheet pan. Immediately pour the hot water into the cast iron pan below and close the oven door fast.
3. Bake with Steam. Bake at 475F (245C) for 12 minutes with steam.
4. Vent and Finish. Carefully remove the steam pan (or just crack the oven door for 10 seconds). Bake another 10-13 minutes until deep golden brown and the internal temp hits 205F (96C).
5. Cool. Transfer to a cooling rack. Let rest at least 30 minutes before slicing. Ciabatta cuts best when fully cool.

Sheet Pan Method (No Stone)

Don't have a stone? A preheated inverted heavy sheet pan works almost as well.

Equipment: Heavy sheet pan (inverted and preheated), second pan for steam

1. Preheat the Inverted Pan. Place a heavy sheet pan upside down on the middle rack and preheat at 475F (245C) for 45 minutes.
2. Load and Steam. Slide the parchment onto the hot inverted pan. Add hot water to a steam pan below. Close the oven fast.
3. Bake. Bake 12 minutes with steam, then 10-13 minutes without. Internal temp should reach 205F (96C).

Note: Don't skip the steam. Dry oven heat gives you a pale, tough crust. Steam gives you that signature ciabatta crackle.

Storage

• Room temperature: Best eaten the day it's baked. Will keep 2-3 days in a paper bag (sourdough keeps slightly longer than yeasted). The crust will soften as it cools, which is normal.
• Refrigerated: Not recommended. Refrigeration stales bread fast.
• Frozen: Up to 2 months. Wrap tightly in plastic, then foil. Slice before freezing for easy toasting.
• Refresh: Spritz with water and reheat at 375F (190C) for 5-7 minutes. The crust will crackle back to life.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use all-purpose flour instead of bread flour?

You can, but the crumb will be tighter and the crust less crackly. Bread flour's higher protein gives ciabatta its signature chew and open structure. For sourdough specifically, bread flour also handles the long fermentation better without breaking down. If all-purpose is all you have, the recipe still works. Just adjust your expectations.

My levain didn't rise overnight. What happened?

Three common causes. First, your starter wasn't active enough when you used it. It needs to be at peak, meaning doubled and bubbly, before you build the levain. Second, your kitchen was too cold. Under 68F, fermentation crawls. Third, you used too much flour relative to starter. For a 1:5:5 ratio like this one (10g starter, 50g flour, 50g water), make sure that starter is genuinely ripe. If your levain is flat and watery, wait another 2-3 hours before giving up.

My dough is too wet to handle. What do I do?

It's supposed to feel wet. Sourdough ciabatta at 80% hydration will feel alarming if you're used to sandwich bread. The fix isn't more flour. Use wet hands or a wet bench scraper, work gently, and trust the process. If it's pooling like soup after 3 folds, your flour may be lower protein. Hold back 25g of water next time.

My sourdough ciabatta came out flat with a tight crumb. What went wrong?

Usually one of these: the levain wasn't at peak when you used it (weak rise), the dough was overproofed in bulk or final proof, the folds were too aggressive and knocked out the gas, or the oven wasn't hot enough. Sourdough is less forgiving on timing than yeasted bread. Watch the dough for 50-70% volume increase, not doubled. And make sure that stone or steel is fully preheated.

How long does sourdough ciabatta take compared to yeasted?

Plan for 2-3 extra hours of total fermentation. The yeasted version with poolish runs about 16-20 hours start to finish. The sourdough version runs 18-22 hours, with the big difference being a longer bulk (4-5 hours vs 3 hours) and a slightly longer final proof (45-60 minutes vs 30-45 minutes). Everything else is the same.

When should I add inclusions like olives, cheese, or roasted garlic?

Fold them in during the Second Coil Fold, not the last one. By the second fold your dough has enough strength to hold the inclusions, and there's still 3+ hours of bulk fermentation ahead for everything to redistribute evenly. Adding inclusions on the last fold can tighten the crumb because the dough doesn't have time to heal before shaping. Pat wet ingredients dry, keep total inclusions around 75-100g for this recipe, and see the full Inclusions Guide in the bulk fermentation phase.

Can I cold retard this overnight like a regular sourdough boule?

Technically yes, but you'll lose some of the signature open crumb. Ciabatta depends on preserving active fermentation right up to the bake. A cold retard lets acids build and gas structure relax. If you want to try it, cold retard after the divide and cut step, covered tightly, for 8-12 hours. Bake straight from the fridge with extra steam. You'll get a slightly tangier, slightly tighter ciabatta. Not bad, just different.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 slice (50g)): 125 calories, 24g carbohydrates, 4g protein, 1.5g fat, 1g fiber, 260mg sodium. Makes 18 servings.