Guides
Sourdough ciabatta (high hydration, big holes)
Wet, slack and barely shaped - sourdough ciabatta is all about high hydration and folds, not kneading. The reward is a rustic flat loaf full of glossy open holes.
Build the preferment
Stir the starter, flour and water into a thick batter. Cover and leave warm 2 to 3 hours until bubbly, or overnight in the fridge.
Mix the wet dough
Combine the preferment, flour, water and salt; mix to a shaggy, very sticky dough and rest 20 minutes. Then work in the olive oil. Don't try to knead it smooth.
Three sets of folds
Over the next 2 hours, do three sets of stretch-and-folds in the bowl with a wet hand, about 30 minutes apart. The dough goes from soupy to jiggly and strong.
Bulk until bubbly
Let it bulk a further 1 to 2 hours until visibly aerated and full of bubbles, about 50% larger.
Cut and stretch, don't shape
Tip the dough onto a heavily floured surface, gently cut it in two, and stretch each piece into a rough rectangle. Move them onto a floured couche, dimpling lightly. Proof 45 to 60 minutes.
Bake hot with steam
Bake at 240 C with strong steam for 20 to 25 minutes until pale gold and crisp. The open crumb comes from the bake, so don't underbake.
High hydration is the whole point
Ciabatta means 'slipper' - flat, rustic and full of irregular holes. You get there with a very wet dough (around 80% hydration) that you never knead tight and never shape into a ball. Instead, a few sets of stretch-and-folds build the structure while the dough stays slack, and you simply cut and stretch the bubbly mass into rough rectangles at the end. Embrace the stickiness: a drier dough gives you a dense roll, not a ciabatta.
What you need
Makes two ciabatta loaves. Hydration is about 80%, so use a strong wheat flour and have wet hands and a dough scraper ready.
Notes and swaps
If the dough feels unmanageable, build confidence with a more forgiving high-hydration bake first, like our focaccia. A pinch of semolina under the loaves stops them sticking and adds crunch. Flour your hands and the bench heavily - this dough is meant to be slack, not stiff. To understand why 80% behaves so differently from a standard loaf, read our hydration guide.
FAQ
Frequently asked
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