Ciabatta Rolls & Semi-Baguettes

In a medium bowl, combine the 120g bread flour, 72g room-temperature water, and the tiny pinch of yeast — 0.2g is an amount that barely dusts the surface of a measuring spoon, almost invisible in quantity. Stir vigorously until fully combined into a stiff, somewhat dry-feeling dough — at 60% hydration, the biga is considerably stiffer than the final dough will be, and it will feel like it needs more water. It does not. The low hydration of the biga is deliberate: a stiff biga ferments more slowly than a wet poolish, producing a longer window of gradual flavour development with a more pronounced nutty, slightly funky character. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature for 8–24 hours. The biga is ready when its surface shows visible bubbles, it has expanded moderately, and it smells distinctly yeasty with a pleasant, slightly fermented, nutty depth. The longer the fermentation within the 24-hour window, the more pronounced and complex the flavour becomes. A biga left for the full 24 hours will produce a ciabatta with noticeably more depth than one used at 8 hours — both are excellent, the longer one is more interesting.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the remaining 280g bread flour, 248g water, 8g salt, and 1.0g yeast. Break the biga into rough chunks and add it to the bowl — the biga’s stiff texture makes it resistant to incorporating into the wetter final dough, and breaking it into pieces rather than adding it whole makes the mixing process more efficient. Mix together by hand or on the stand mixer’s lowest speed until all ingredients are roughly combined into a shaggy, cohesive mass. The dough at this stage will be very wet and sticky — at 80% overall hydration, ciabatta dough is considerably wetter than most home bakers are accustomed to handling. This high hydration is the source of ciabatta’s characteristic enormous, irregular air bubbles and its thin, crackling crust, and it must not be reduced by adding flour. Continue mixing on medium-low in the stand mixer for 8–10 minutes, or knead by hand using the slap-and-fold technique — lift the dough from the counter, stretch it away from you, fold it back over itself, rotate 90 degrees, and repeat. The wet dough will be sticky throughout this process. A bench scraper is essential for managing it on the counter. Continue until the dough is smooth, elastic, and shows visible gluten development — it should stretch several inches without tearing rather than breaking immediately when pulled.

Transfer the kneaded dough to a lightly oiled large bowl using a well-oiled dough scraper — the dough will cling to everything, and a well-oiled scraper is the only way to move it without losing significant dough to the sides of the bowl. Punch the dough gently in the centre once with your fist, then fold: wet your hand lightly, reach under one side of the dough, stretch it upward as far as it will go without tearing, and fold it over the centre. Rotate the bowl a quarter turn and repeat around all four sides. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap and allow to bulk ferment at room temperature for 2 hours total, performing a stretch and fold every 30 minutes — at the 30, 60, 90, and 120-minute marks, for a total of 4 stretch-and-fold cycles. Each stretch-and-fold session takes approximately 60 seconds. These repetitions are not incidental technique — they are the primary method by which a very wet, extensible dough like ciabatta develops its gluten structure. Standard kneading compresses and shears the dough aggressively; stretch and fold extends and aligns the gluten chains gently, producing a strong network without degassing the fermentation bubbles that are forming throughout the bulk rise. After each fold the dough will feel progressively tighter, more elastic, and less sticky, visually demonstrating the gluten development building over time.

After the final stretch and fold at the 2-hour mark, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and transfer to the refrigerator for a minimum of 3 hours and up to 24 hours. This cold fermentation stage is the flavour-development step that distinguishes a genuinely excellent ciabatta from an acceptable one. In the cold environment the yeast’s activity slows dramatically while the bacterial activity that produces the organic acids, esters, and complex aroma compounds responsible for the bread’s depth continues at a slower rate. The longer the cold fermentation within the 24-hour window, the more complex and interesting the flavour. A 3-hour cold ferment produces a clean, mild ciabatta. An 18–24 hour cold ferment produces one with a pleasantly complex, slightly sour, deeply nutty character. Both are correct — choose based on the time available and the intended flavour profile.

Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 15–30 minutes. Do not attempt to handle or shape cold ciabatta dough directly from the refrigerator — the cold makes it stiff and resistant, and attempting to stretch it while cold will tear the gluten network and degas the fermentation. The 15–30 minutes of tempering at room temperature brings the dough to a more pliable, cooperative temperature without allowing significant additional fermentation. Lightly oil your hands — ciabatta dough at 80% hydration is aggressively sticky and oiled hands are not optional for clean handling. Gently fold the dough out of the bowl onto a lightly floured work surface. For 8 rolls: divide the dough into 8 equal pieces, each approximately 80g. For 4 semi-baguettes: divide into 4 equal pieces, each approximately 160g. Weighing is recommended for consistent results — unequal pieces bake at different rates.

Handling each piece with minimum pressure to preserve the gas structure built up during the long fermentation, gently stretch each piece into a rectangular shape. For rolls: approximately 6cm × 9cm (2.5 × 3.5 inches) — wide enough to hold sandwich fillings and compact enough to fit comfortably in one hand. For semi-baguettes: approximately 6cm × 18–20cm (2.5 × 7–8 inches) — the longer format suited for slicing vertically into crostini, slicing horizontally for French dip and steak sandwiches, or serving alongside soups and stews. The shaping should be minimal — no aggressive pressing, forming, or rolling. Ciabatta’s character depends on the irregular, open internal structure built during fermentation, and any aggressive handling at the shaping stage compresses the gas bubbles and produces a denser, less open crumb. The goal is to guide the dough into approximately the right shape with the lightest possible touch, not to produce perfectly uniform, tightly-shaped pieces.

Transfer the shaped pieces to baking sheets lined with parchment paper, spacing them with at least 5cm between each piece. Dust the tops lightly with flour — this prevents the covering from adhering and adds the characteristic lightly dusted appearance of authentic Italian ciabatta. Cover loosely with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and allow to proof at room temperature for 1 hour. The pieces should look visibly puffier than when shaped, with the surface showing small irregular bubbles and feeling light and airy when gently pressed. Toward the end of the proofing time, preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F). Place a baking sheet in the oven to preheat if using a hot sheet pan method, or position a baking stone on the middle rack and begin preheating it during the full proofing period for best results. Prepare the ice cubes — have several cups ready in a bowl beside the oven for the steam generation step.

Working quickly to minimise heat loss, remove the preheated baking sheet from the oven and carefully slide the parchment paper with the proofed ciabatta pieces onto it. Immediately and optionally lightly spray or flick the surface of each piece with water — this additional moisture contributes to the steam environment and helps develop an even crispier crust. Return the sheet to the oven and immediately scatter the ice cubes into a large, shallow metal roasting pan, cast iron skillet, or rimmed baking sheet placed on the oven’s lowest rack. Do not use a glass dish — the thermal shock of ice on hot glass will shatter it. Close the oven door quickly to trap the steam generated by the rapidly melting ice. The ice cube method produces a sustained, dense steam environment more effectively than boiling water for this application: the ice melts progressively over 8–10 minutes, generating steam continuously throughout the critical first portion of baking when the crust needs to remain flexible for oven spring. Bake for 20–22 minutes for a golden result or 25 minutes for the deeper, darker colour that produces a more crackling, flavourful crust. The rolls and semi-baguettes are done when they are deep golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on the base, or when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 96–99°C (205–210°F).

Transfer immediately to a wire rack and allow to cool for a minimum of 20 minutes before cutting. The internal temperature continues to rise slightly after the bread leaves the oven, and the moisture distribution equalises between crumb and crust during the cooling period. Cutting hot ciabatta produces a gummy, steam-compressed interior texture rather than the open, airy crumb that all the technique was designed to produce.