Ciabatta Rolls
Discover how to make fresh, square ciabatta rolls with this simple recipe.
Editor's Note: Chewy yet crisp, Ciabatta Rolls are the ideal bread to use for sandwiches or to eat on their own. Baking bread from a homemade bread recipe isn't hard at all. You don't even need a bread machine as this particular ciabatta bread recipe bakes right in the oven! They can even be made ahead and frozen until your next big dinner, and although they take a few hours to make, the finished result is well worth it -- homemade ciabatta rolls that no one can resist.
These simple rolls are the perfect shape for pressed sandwiches, with a crisp crust and an interior that’s soft but not so thick and cottony that it will compete with the filling ingredients. If you’d like to flavor the rolls with fresh herbs, stir 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil, parsley, oregano, or cilantro into the dough with the other ingredients. Use just 1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, since it’s more powerful than the others. If you know you are going to freeze the rolls, consider baking them for a shorter period-just until they are light golden. Then when you are ready to use them, put the frozen rolls in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10 minutes to finish the baking.
Makes6 Rolls
Cooking MethodBaking
CostInexpensive
Total Timeunder 4 hours
Make Ahead RecipeYes
Kid FriendlyYes
Dietary ConsiderationEgg-free, Halal, Kosher, Peanut Free, Soy Free, Tree Nut Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
EquipmentElectric Mixer, Food Processor
MealBreakfast, Brunch, Lunch
Taste and TextureChewy
Type of DishBread, Rolls, Yeast Bread
Ingredients
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon (180 grams/6.35 ounces) tepid water (70 to 78 degrees)
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams/.2 ounce) instant yeast
- 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons (250 grams/8.8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon (5 grams/.2 ounce) sea salt or kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon (5 grams/.2 ounce) granulated sugar
- 2½ tablespoons (28 grams/1 ounce) olive oil, plus more for oiling the pan and brushing the rolls
Bread baking for beginners doesn't have to be intimidating with these tips in mind!
Novice and experienced bakers alike enjoy the thrill and challenge that comes when you make your own bread from scratch. Alternating between periods of intensity and long durations of waiting, bread-making is not for those who are impatient and expect to see immediate results.
Check out our full article on baking bread from scratch for expert tips and yummy recipes >> Make Your Own Bread: 6 Tricks to Baking Bread from Scratch
Instructions
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Pour the water into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add the yeast, flour, salt, sugar, and olive oil and stir with a rubber spatula just long enough to blend into a dough. With the dough hook, mix the dough on low speed (2 on a KitchenAid® mixer) for 3 minutes. Turn the speed to medium-high (8 on a KitchenAid® mixer) and knead until it clears the sides of the bowl and collects on the hook, becoming smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes more. At this speed, the mixer will “walk” possibly off the counter, so do not leave it unattended.
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(Alternatively, in a food processor combine the yeast, flour, salt, and sugar and pulse 2 or 3 times to combine. With the motor running, pour the water and oil into the feed tube and process until the dough forms a smooth ball. To knead, continue to process for 30 seconds.)
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Oil a 7 x 11-inch baking dish. Scrape the dough into the dish and pat it with oiled fingertips to flatten it. Let it rest and relax for 5 minutes, then use lightly oiled fingertips to push and stretch it across the bottom of the dish. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm, draft-free spot until it has more than doubled in volume and reaches the top of the pan, about 2 hours.
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Lightly oil a large baking sheet. Uncover the dough and place the baking sheet, right side down, on top of the dough. Invert the dish onto the baking sheet and shake once or twice to release the dough onto the sheet.
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Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the dough into 6 squares, and use the edge of the knife to push the squares 3 inches apart on the baking sheet. Put 4 short drinking glasses near the corners of the pan and drape a sheet or two of plastic wrap over them so that it covers the dough pieces and keeps them moist but does not touch them. Let the dough pieces stand until they have expanded by about 50 percent, about 40 minutes.
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Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Remove the plastic and glasses and bake the rolls until dark golden brown, about 20 minutes. Brush the hot rolls with olive oil. Let cool completely on the baking sheet before slicing with a sharp serrated knife.
More Rolls, Biscuits, and Buns from Cookstr.com
If you love making your own dinner rolls, you'll love this carb-happy sides. Impress your guests at your next dinner party. Serve with a side of fresh butter.
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5. Dinner Rolls
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pfclcplgossettca 0 448662
Feb 03, 2018
There are some SERIOUS issues with this recipe. I have been making breads professionally for years and believe me when I sayTHIS RECIPE IS TRASH!!! Whoever decided to publish this one needs to be fired.
ericdaugu 2996360
Jan 09, 2018
This recipe doesn't work at all, extremely flat rolls which don't look and taste like ciabatta. The picture which one comment confirm is a stock photo from another recipe.
Mary
Oct 28, 2017
This will NOT make a "smooth ball" as the directions claim, and I don't think it's supposed to. I should have realized this was a terrible recipe when I saw the water temp for the yeast. Instant yeast should NOT take two hours to rise!! Had to add 1/2 cup flour, and after three hours, still super flat, no rising.
Mary
Oct 28, 2017
Don't waste your time and ingredients. I should have realized when I saw the temp for the water/yeast. Instant yeast does not take two hours to rise!! Regular yeast at a temp of 105-115 will rise in one hour. I added a 1/2 c flour before I saw comments that the dough is supposed to be sticky, and mine still was extremely thin and sticky even then. Three hours later and the dough is still as flat as can be, probably due to the terrible idea of using such low temp water.
xxspudsmomxx 45804 55
May 04, 2017
Ciabatta rolls - so easy and so tasty! Family favorite
tdbertram 6232993
Jan 13, 2016
I baked these today. I doubled the recipe and no they do not look like the picture but they taste great!
KBailey 9686521
Jan 24, 2014
When mixing the yeast into dry ingredients the liquid needs to be warm 120- 130 degrees F. No warmer than 135 (kills yeast). When you already proof the yeast to activate it then the liquid yeast mixture is added to the recipe. Hope this helps.
kara 2098528
Jan 07, 2014
@cncguy Thanks for reaching out. All of Cookstr's recipes are from cookbooks, and in some cases publishers can't give us the rights to use the finished dish photos from those cookbooks. In those cases, we use a stock photo, in this case of a standard Ciabatta. I'm sorry to hear that this recipe didn't work out for you. If it's helpful, you might try following the advice of Amanda Heckert, one of Cookstr's editors, below: All best, Kara Rota Editorial Director Amanda said: "Ciabatta tends to be very sticky and wet dough so it can be a challenge to work with. I would add a little extra flour to your dough (1/4 cup) if you think it may produce a better final product. Especially on a humid summer day. I usually use a well greased piece of parchment and dough cutter to help cut the dough into squares. I allow the dough to rise on the parchment covered and even bake on the parchment."
cncguy36 2401630
Jan 05, 2014
This recipe is terrible. You'll need a lot more flour than this recipe specifies. Good luck trying to cut the dough into the six req'd pieces. I ended up dividing into 6 equal pieces and forming into buns. It also helps if the poster posts an ACTUAL picture of the results rather than a stock image off of the internet. I won't be fooled again ! !
Alheckert 4369909
Jul 29, 2013
@carriecz Please let us know how they turned out. Ciabatta tends to be very sticky and wet dough so it can be a challenge to work with. I would add a little extra flour to your dough (1/4 cup) if you think it may produce a better final product. Especially on a humid summer day. I usually use a well greased piece of parchment and dough cutter to help cut the dough into squares. I allow the dough to rise on the parchment covered and even bake on the parchment.
madamecc 4088508
Jun 10, 2013
Just tried this, turned out extremely flat and a bit burned. Nothing at all like the picture. I don't think slightly greater than 1.5 cups is anywhere near enough for this recipe. It seems like somebody halved it and didn't follow through with the rest of the recipe (smaller pan, only 3 squares, etc). But I'm not giving up.... they were tasty even though they were huge crackers. One big thick plop of extra dough on the side turned out great, so this has to be the answer. I will try this again tomorrow and use 2x the ingredients, same size lasagna pan. Also, separating the squares was next to impossible. We think that part was the big error. We used baking stones and the bottoms were AWESOME but yep, it needs to be about twice as thick. We are going to not worry about the square shape and go biscuit style (but follow the instructions for flipping). If anyone can figure this part out, please let me know, as I do like the square shape a lot.
rongbmm 5192444
Jul 18, 2012
I have a kitchenaid hand mixer with bread hooks. I tried twice to make this bread yesterday and it did not work. I followed the directions perfectly and waited. Did not rise more than an inch at any time. I am very disappointed.
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