How to Make Ciabatta Bread with Fresh Milled Flour
Fresh Milled Ciabatta is crisp on the outside yet light and airy on the inside! Perfect for sandwiches and dipping, you will love how easy and quickly this bread comes together making it great for beginner bakers, especially those new to fresh milled flour.
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This chewy homemade bread is sure to be a real crowd pleaser! Fresh Milled Flour adds a nutty flavor to this ciabatta.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Crispy crust, chewy interior – Ciabatta is traditionally crunchy on the outside and light and chewy on the inside. It’s even better with 100% Whole Grain Flour!
- 100% Fresh Milled Flour – Fresh Milled Flour is packed with nutrition and flavor. Boasting 40/44 key nutrients and a delightfully nutty flavor, the flour adds so much to your bread products.
- The Perfect Sandwich Vessel – This bread makes the perfect sandwich bread as it can hold up to any of your favorite toppings. The texture is also perfect for dipping!
- Beginner Friendly Method – This recipe calls for kneading instead of stretch and folds, making it much more approachable for beginners!
What is Ciabatta Bread?
Ciabatta bread is a chewy, Italian style artisan bread that is scored into individual portions.
Known as a high hydration dough which yields an airy crumb, this bread is quite pleasing for making sandwiches!
Best Flour to make this recipe
Hard white wheat makes the lightest crumb and easily builds gluten due to its high protein content and being low in moisture.
Hard red wheat would also make a great option. This flour will add even more nutty flavor to the bread.
Ingredients for Fresh Milled Ciabatta
- Water – Warm your water to 100-105 degrees F.
- Fresh Milled Flour – I used hard white wheat flour. You can use hard red wheat flour or a combination of the two.
- Salt – I use fine sea salt.
- Instant Yeast – I like using instant yeast because it does not require proofing or blooming before use.
Ingredient amounts can be found in the printable recipe card below
Tools for making this recipe
For milling my wheat, I use the NUTRIMILL GRAIN MILL
I use the BOSCH MIXER to knead my dough.
For baking, I use a PIZZA STONE. Alternatively, you can use a CAST IRON GRIDDLE or a PIZZA STEEL
I personally love a baking stone as it can handle very high temperatures and yields a beautiful crust and chewy texture!
If you don’t have either of these, be sure your baking sheet or sheet pan can be used at 475 degrees F.
Step-by-step Instructions for making this recipe
Step 1: Mill the Flour
Mill your wheat grain on the fine setting of your grain mill.
Step 2: Mix Flour and Water to Soak
First, heat your water to 100-105 degrees F. Add the water and flour to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment. You can also mix this in a large mixing bowl and knead by hand.
Mix the dough until it just comes together and is shaggy. Keep in mind this is a wet dough compared to most bread doughs.
Let the dough soak for 30 minutes.
Step 3: Add Yeast and Salt and Knead
After the dough has soaked 30 minutes, add the salt and yeast and turn the mixer on speed 2.
Knead for 6-8 minutes until the dough is glossy and stretchy. You can pinch off a piece of dough and stretch the dough between your hands. If it can be stretched to a point that you can see through it without breaking, it has passed the “windowpane test”.
NOTE: THIS DOUGH IS STICKIER THAN SOME BREAD DOUGHS. RESIST THE URGE TO ADD MORE FLOUR AS THIS IS HOW YOU GET THE CRUSTY EXTERIOR
Step 4: First Rise (Bulk Fermentation)
Once the dough has been kneaded for 6-8 minutes, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel, and let the dough rise for 1-1 1/2 hours until roughly doubled in size.
Tip: Use a bowl scraper to handle the dough while transferring
Step 5: Shape the Ciabatta Rolls
Preheat your oven with the pizza stone, steel, or cast iron griddle to 475 degrees F.
After the ciabatta dough has risen, punch down the dough and transfer the dough to a lightly floured parchment paper or work surface. I like to put a piece of parchment paper on a pizza peel so I can easily transfer the dough to the hot pizza stone.
Lightly flour the top of the dough and pat it out into a rectangle shape. Using a bench scraper, score the dough into 8 equal pieces.
Let the dough rest as the oven preheats.
Step 6: Bake the Ciabatta
Carefully transfer the dough onto the hot pizza stone.
Bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes until deeply golden brown.
Hungry for more recipes and tips?
If you’re new to fresh milled flour, START HERE!
Try my EASY FRESH MILLED FLOUR SANDWICH BREAD
Can’t decide on a grain mill, READ THIS!
Learn all about the different types of WHEAT BERRIES and how to use them!
Tips for working with high hydration dough
- Use wet hands – Put a small of water in a bowl and moisten your hands before handling the dough.
- Avoid adding more flour – Adding more flour will make the finished product more dense.
- Don’t skip the soak – Soaking the dough will allow the flour to absorb the liquid fully before kneading and makes all the difference in the final bread.
Absolutely! Use my SOURDOUGH CIABATTA RECIPE
Yes! Because this dough is not quite as sticky and is kneaded, it is very approachable for beginners!
Yes, if you want to use active dry yeast, proof it in a bit of warm water until frothy before adding to the dough.
Storage Tips
Store cooled ciabatta bread in a bread bag or airtight container on the counter at room temperature for 3-4 days for best results.
Freeze ciabatta bread in a freezer safe bag for up to 3 months.
How to Make Ciabatta Bread with Fresh Milled Flour
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Warm Water 348 grams
- 3 cups Fresh Milled Flour 390 grams
- 1 1/2 tsp Salt 11 grams
- 3 tsp Instant Yeast 11 grams
Instructions
- First, mill your wheat berries on the fine setting of your grain mill.
- Warm your water to 100-105 degrees F and add to the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
- Add the flour and mix on speed 1 until a shaggy dough forms and there are no dry bits of flour remaining.
- Cover and let the dough soak for 30 minutes.
- After soaking, add the salt and the yeast.
- Turn the mixer on speed 2 and knead for 6-8 minutes until glossy and stretchy.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased mixing bowl and cover with plastic wrap or a tea towel to rise for 1-1 1/2 hours or until roughly doubled in size.
- Preheat the oven with the pizza stone, steel, or cast iron griddle in the oven to 475 degrees F.
- Punch down the dough and transfer to a lightly floured piece of parchment paper.
- Dust the top of the dough with a bit of flour and pat the dough out into a rectangular shape.
- Use a bench scraper and score the dough into 8 equal pieces.
- Carefully transfer this parchment paper with the dough on it to the hot stone. I like to use a pizza peel to make the transfer much easier.
- Bake for 20 minutes until deeply golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack before storing.
