Easy Homemade Ciabatta Rolls
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Delicious bread rolls that are crispy and slightly chewy on the outside, and soft and airy on the inside.
Author:
Recipe type: Bread Rolls
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 6
Ingredients
  • 500 grams bread flour (or, High-Protein AP flour)
  • 2 tsp. fine sea salt
  • 2 tsp. instant yeast
  • 1.5 cups lukewarm water (about 340 grams)
  • --- extra virgin olive oil for drizzling on the dough
  • --- all-purpose flour, for dusting
Instructions
  1. Mix the dough: add the flour, the salt and the yeast to a large bowl and whisk to incorporate. Pour the water over the mixture of flour and using a dough whisk or a sturdy wooden spoon, mix the dough again, until it just comes together (the dough will be sticky). You can also use a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment.
  2. Rest: drizzle some olive oil over the top of the dough, flip it over to cover, then cover the bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes.
  3. Stretch and Fold: wet your hands and "stretch and fold" the dough 3 times (technique is explained above). After each time, cover and let the dough rest for 30 minutes. At the end of the final rest, the dough will be smooth and elastic.
  4. Rest again: cover the dough again and set it aside for an hour or so, until it is almost double in size. If you are not ready to bake, you can also refrigerate the dough at this point until the next day.
  5. Form the rolls: with a spatula, ease the dough out of the bowl and onto a well-floured surface. Sprinkle the top of the dough with some flour. Flour a bench scraper and cut the dough into 6 pieces, roughly about the same size.
  6. Final Rest: sprinkle some flour on your hands, gently lift the pieces with the help of a bench scraper and place them on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. It is fine if the rolls are uneven and not the same size. Lightly flour the top of the rolls, cover with a kitchen towel and let them rise again for about an hour.
  7. Preheat the oven to 450º F.
  8. Steam: just before you are about to bake the bread rolls, it is important to create a moist environment in the oven. Place several ice cubes in a medium-sized, rimmed, baking sheet and place it in the lowest oven rack. The melting ice will create steam which will prevent the rolls from forming a crust early and will allow the rolls to continue to expand. The steam will not prevent the rolls from getting a nice crispy crust at the end.
  9. Bake: finally, place the baking sheet with the ciabatta rolls on the center rack of the preheated oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown. The internal temperature of the rolls should be around 205º F.
  10. Cool: remove from the oven and cool the ciabatta rolls for 30 minutes before slicing and enjoying!
Notes
Notes: Instant yeast does not need to be dissolved into liquid to activate. If you use active yeast, then dissolve it first into the water to bloom.

The dough needs also several hours of resting time throughout the preparation process and before baking!
Recipe by Marilena's Kitchen at https://marilenaskitchen.com/easy-homemade-ciabatta-rolls/