Sourdough Ciabatta Rolls
These sourdough ciabatta rolls are light and airy, with a chewy golden crust. They’re very easy to make, even though they use a very high hydration dough. It’s because very little shaping is needed; they’re just rustically cut into squares and baked.
Ciabatta means ‘slipper‘ in Italian, and as the dough is very wet, the bread spreads out into a slipper shape. If this is your first time working with a wet dough like this, you might be a little worried at first because it’s initially so slack. Don’t worry, though; if your sourdough starter is strong and you’ve got bread flour, you’ll see this wet and sloppy dough grow into something beautifully elastic over time.
The dough is made over a period of two days, with an overnight cold proof. After the dough is cold-proofed, it is cut into rustic rectangles. Then, it is left to rest for a little longer and baked in a hot oven with a little water to create some steam.
Starter note: I usually make a seperate levain for my bread, which is like an offshoot of my starter that I feed to add the whole thing to my dough. If you feed your starter differently, though, no worries, then use around 90g of your active starter in the dough.
Ingredients
Levain
35 g starter
35 g all-purpose flour
35 g water
Ciabatta dough
420 g bread flour
340 g water
13 g extra virgin olive oil
8 g salt
All the levain (around 90g active starter)
Method
In the morning, feed your levain so it can rise and double. When it has nearly finished rising, mix the flour and water in a large bowl to form a sticky and shaggy dough. Let this rest for at least 30 minutes.
Add the olive oil, salt, and levain and mix well until everything is combined. This makes a very sticky and wet dough. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes.
Bulk Ferment
Over the next 3 hours, stretch and fold the dough every 30 minutes (6 sets of folds total.)
You can do traditional stretch and folds, coil folds, or whatever folds you prefer. I like to tuck the dough under itself while I fold it to create a smooth top. Always use wet hands to stop the dough from sticking during folds.
Let the dough rest between each set of stretches and folds. Cover the bowl with a plate or damp towel to prevent the dough from drying out.
Initially, the dough will be very sticky and wet, and the first stretch will be very slack. After a few folds, it will hold together more, and the final dough will be very elastic. If your starter was in good condition and too acidic, you will quickly feel improvement as the folds go on.
After the folds, let the dough bulk ferment in a warm place, ideally around 25°C/77°F, for about 3-5 hours until it shows clear signs of fermentation and has risen by around 60%. I like to place the dough in a clear container with straight sides to easily tell if it has risen, with a lid to prevent it from drying out. Once the dough has risen, keep it covered and refrigerate it overnight.
Shaping
Generously flour a work surface. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and generously dust it with flour.
Tip the cold dough out onto the floured work surface. Use floured hands to pull the dough rectangle measuring 23x28cm/ 9×11 inches. Use a dough scraper to push the sides of the dough to make them straighter.
Generously dust the top of the dough with flour, then use a bench scraper to cut it in half lengthwise. Then, cut it into thirds width-wise to create six rustic pieces.
Use the bench scraper or floured hands to carefully pick up the pieces of dough and transfer them to the lined baking tray. Nudge the dough into place with a floured bench scraper, or use floured fingers to tuck in the edges if they have stretched out.
Leave the dough to rest at room temperature for about an hour or so until lightly puffier. While the dough rests, preheat the oven to 450 °F/ 230°C.
Baking
When ready to bake, spray or drizzle the tops of the dough pieces lightly with water. To create extra steam, add a few ice cubes to a pan at the bottom of the oven.
Bake the rolls for around 20-25 minutes until deep golden brown. If they are browning unevenly, rotate the oven rack halfway through baking.
After baking, let the rolls cool to room temperature on a wire rack before slicing and serving.
Happy baking!