Ciabatta Hybrid Method
I have experimented a lot with ciabatta recipes and the hybrid method that I am going to tell you more about really stood out for me. Crunchy crust, soft and airy inside, just how you’d want it to be!
| Ready in: 24-48 hours | Serves: 8-10 people |
| Yield: 2 x 400g ciabattas | Units: US, EU |
Sourdough starter (night before)
- 5g sourdough starter
- 35g water
- 30g all purpose flour or bread flour
- 5g rye flour
I always feed starter with 90% all purpose flour and 10% rye. Which makes it nice and strong.
Please note, summertime ratio for overnight feeding is higher (1:10:10) compared to wintertime (1:7:7), because of the temperature difference. Depending on the strength of the starter, you can change the ratio.
Learn how to make starter from scratch here.
Poolish (night before)
- 0.5g dry yeast
- 100g water(20%)
- 100g flour(20%)
Main Dough
- 50g sourdough starter (10%)
- 200g poolish
- 350gย bread flourย (70%)
- 50g whole grain whole wheat flour (10%)
- 250g water (50%)
- – 50g extra water will be added during mixing (bassinage)(10%)
- 10g olive oil (2%)
- 10g salt (2%)
A detailed Ciabatta Course with videos and instructions is available here.
Directions
Starter preparation step.
Night before:
- 10 pm add starter to the water and whisk together, add flour, mix well, cover loosely, let sit at room temp 70-75F till next morning until it reaches the peak (10-12 hours), it should at least double (starter isnโt strong enough), or triple in size(strong starter).
Poolish preparation step.
- 10 pm in container add yeast to water,add flour, whisk all together, cover the lid, let ferment at room temp till next morning.
Ciabatta dough preparation steps.
Next morning:
- 9 am mix water, all poolish and starter with flour, using spoon, cover, let rest 1 hour for autolyse (during the autolyse stage flour absorbs water, becoming fully hydrated. This activates gluten development).
- 10 am add salt.Mix on low speed of your mixing machine for 2-3 minutes, or KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5-6 minutes until well incorporated. Add extra water little by little. The process of adding extra water is called bassinage, it helps to tighten up gluten. The dough has to come up together.
- At the end add olive oil.ย Mix until well incorporated. Total mixing time shouldnโt take longer then 10-15 minutes.
- Oil the container with olive oil, transfer the dough into the container, close the lid.ย
- Leave to rest for 30 minutes at 74-78F /23-26C.
- 10:30 am wet your hands and perform 1st stretch and fold.
- 11 am 2nd stretch and fold.
- 11:30 am 3rd stretch and fold.
- 12 pm 4th stretch and fold.
Performing stretches and folds will help to continue gluten development.
After the final stretch let the dough rest for 15 minutes. You should see some bubbles on the surface, the dough has to become lighter. We are looking for 30%-40% rise.
Ciabatta preshaping and shaping steps.
Next day:
- Remove the dough from the fridge.ย
- Generously sprinkle with flour table and dough, turn container on the floured surface.ย
- Using the of scraper divide the dough in 2 equal parts, then fold each dough( flourless sides one to each other). Sprinkle more flour all around ciabattas.
- Now transfer each shaped dough onto a proofing couche. Cover ciabattas with kitchen towel. Let them proof for 1 hour.
- Perform poke test to check the readiness. Give the dough a gentle but assertive poke. If the dough springs back right away, let it rise for a few more minutes. If the dough springs back slowly, like itโs waking up from a long nap, and your poke leaves a small indentation, itโs ready to go.
- During proofing time start to preheat oven 500F with baking stone inside and iron tray on the bottom rack for 1 hour.
- When the oven is hot and ciabattas are proofed enough, flip them over on a parchment paper( bottom side should be on the top, and top part should be on the bottom.
- Prepare 10 ice cubes.
- Act fast, open the oven, transfer ciabattas on to the baking stone, dump the ice cubes into the tray and put it on the bottom rack, close the oven door.
- Bake for 10 minutes.
- Lower the temperature to 475F, open the oven door, remove the tray with excess water. Bake for 15 more minutes.
- Let your ciabattas cool for 1 hour.
Enjoy ๐
Ciabatta Hybrid Method
2060kcal
Ingredients
Sourdough Starter (Night Before)
- 5 g Sourdough starter culture
- 35 g Water
- 30 g All-purpose or bread flour
- 5 g Rye flour
The Poolish Preferment (Night Before)
- 0.5 g Dry instant yeast
- 100 g Water
- 100 g All-purpose or bread flour
The Main Ciabatta Dough
- 50 g Active sourdough starter (10% – From the overnight build)
- 200 g Prepared Poolish (all of it) (40%)
- 350 g Premium bread flour (70%)
- 50 g Whole grain whole wheat flour (10%)
- 250 g Bassinage water (50%)
- 50 g Cold extra water (10% – Reserved exclusively for late-stage bassinage)
- 10 g Quality olive oil (2%)
- 10 g Fine sea salt (2%)
- Extra olive oil For greasing the proofing container
Equipment
- Baking Stone / Baking Steel Crucial for storing heavy thermal mass to yield immediate bottom spring
- Stand Mixer Highly recommended to smoothly incorporate the late water addition and build high-hydration gluten structure
- Dough Scraper & Bench Knife Essential for dividing the ultra-wet dough without deflating air pockets
- Proofing Couche / Heavy Linen Towel To support the wet rectangular loaves horizontally during the final rise
- Rectangular Plastic Container A flat-bottomed bin to ease the visualization of bulk volume increase
- Ice Cubes For oven steam generation
Method
Night Before โ Dual Preferment Stabilization
- 10:00 PM โ Levain and Poolish Launch: Prepare two separate small glass jars or containers. For the Levain: Whisk 5g of starter culture into 35g of room-temperature water, then stir in 30g of all-purpose flour and 5g of rye flour. For the Poolish: Dissolve 0.5g of dry instant yeast into 100g of water, then stir in 100g of flour until a smooth, thick batter forms. Cover both vessels loosely and let them ferment concurrently side-by-side at a room temperature of 70โ75ยฐF (21โ24ยฐC) overnight for 10 to 12 hours. By morning, both preferments must look aggressively bubbly, frothy, and expanded to their absolute peak.
Day 2 โ The High-Hydration Autolyse & Bassinage Mix
- 9:00 AM โ The Autolyse: In your stand mixer bowl, combine all 250g of baseline water, 200g of poolish, and 50g of active levain. Stir briefly with a large spoon to break up the starters, then add 350g of bread flour and 50g of whole wheat flour. Mix until a shaggy, wet dough mass forms with no raw flour remaining. Cover and let sit undisturbed for 1 hour to complete the autolyse, fully hydrating the starches and initializing gluten chains.
- 10:00 AM โ Salt and Bassinage Water Implementation: Add the 10g of fine baking salt directly over the dough mass. Secure the bowl onto your mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on a low speed for 2 to 3 minutes (or use a KitchenAid on speed 3 for 5 to 6 minutes) until the salt granules dissolve completely. The Bassinage Technique: With the mixer running on medium speed, begin trickling in the reserved 50g of cold extra water a tiny splash at a time. Do not add the next splash until the dough completely absorbs the previous one. This progressive hydration builds a highly structured gluten framework capable of trapping water. Olive Oil Incorporation: Once all the bassinage water is fully integrated and the dough starts pulling away from the sides, pour in the 10g of olive oil. Continue mixing for another 3 to 5 minutes until the fat is seamlessly absorbed and the dough gathers back into an elastic, smooth, glossy mass. Total mixing time should not exceed 10 to 15 minutes. Bulk proof Setup: Coat a large rectangular plastic container generously with olive oil. Transfer the wet dough cleanly into the container and close the lid tightly.
Day 2 (Late Morning) โ Warm Bulk Proof & Structural Folding
- 10:30 AM โ First Fold Interval: Let the dough rest inside the covered bin for 30 minutes at a warm room temperature of 74โ78ยฐF (23โ26ยฐC). Wet your hands thoroughly with water to prevent sticking. Slide your hands beneath the wet dough, pull it upward gently from the center to stretch it without ripping, and fold it over onto itself. Repeat this action on all four quadrants of the dough. Close the lid.
- Progressive Folds: Continue building vertical vertical strength and organizing the large gas pockets by executing three more rounds of regular stretch-and-folds inside the bin spaced exactly 30 minutes apart: – 11:00 AM โ 2nd stretch and fold. – 11:30 AM โ 3rd stretch and fold. – 12:00 PM โ 4th/final stretch and fold.
- The Cold Fermentation Retard: Following the final fold, leave the dough undisturbed for 15 minutes. Look for a distinct lightness, a 50% increase in total volume, and prominent surface bubbles. Transfer the closed container directly into the refrigerator to undergo an overnight cold fermentation retard for 11 to 24 hours.
Day 3 โ Precision Dividing, Couche Proofing & The High-Steam Bake
- The Next Day โ Flipping the Wet Matrix: Remove the cold, structured container from the refrigerator. Generously dust your work table and the top surface of the cold dough with a heavy layer of flour. Invert the container smoothly onto the counter, allowing the cold dough to slide out naturally under its own weight without pulling or stretching it forcefully.
- The Clean Scraper Divide: Using a large bench scraper dusted with flour, split the rectangular dough sheet cleanly down the middle into two equal parts. For a more voluminous shape, take each piece and fold the wet, sticky, flourless cut sides inward facing each other. Dust with additional flour around the edges.
- The Linen Couche Rest: Transfer each shaped loaf carefully onto a well-floured proofing couche or a heavy kitchen cloth, pulling the fabric upward between the loaves to create a supportive wall that forces them to rise vertically rather than flattening out. Cover loosely with a towel and let proof at room temperature for 1 hour to 1 hour and 30 minutes. Perform a poke testโif your finger leaves an indentation that slowly springs halfway back, it is ready to bake.
- Preheating and Setup: One hour before baking, place your baking stone on the middle rack and an empty metal iron tray on the bottom rack, preheating the oven to a smoking hot 500ยฐF (260ยฐC).
- The Inverted Bake: Flip the proofed ciabattas over carefully onto a sheet of parchment paper so that the sticky bottom side now faces directly upward. Prepare 10 solid ice cubes. Act quickly: slide the loaves along with the parchment paper onto the scorching hot baking stone, dump the ice cubes straight into the bottom iron tray to release a massive plume of steam, and slam the oven door shut. Bake with steam at 500ยฐF (260ยฐC) for exactly 10 minutes.
- The Crisp Uncovered Finish: Carefully open the oven door to vent any remaining steam, remove the bottom water tray, lower the temperature down to 475ยฐF (246ยฐC), and continue baking uncovered for an additional 15 minutes until the crust turns an even, crisp, light golden-amber finish. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely before slicing.
Nutrition
Calories2060kcalCarbohydrates399gProtein66gFat19gSaturated Fat3gPolyunsaturated Fat5gMonounsaturated Fat8gSodium3909mgPotassium686mgFiber18gSugar2gVitamin A14IUCalcium106mgIron6mg
Notes
– **The Philosophy of the Hybrid Method:** Baking high-hydration ciabatta solely with sourdough can occasionally result in a heavy or overly flat profile if the starter lacks peak enzymatic speed, while baking it solely with commercial yeast skips deep flavor complexity. Merging a slow wild sourdough culture with a rapid yeast poolish gives you the best of both worlds: the lactic acidity provides an authentic artisan tang, while the poolish guarantees an immediate explosion of uniform, large pockets in the oven.
– **Mastering the Bassinage Drizzle:** Attempting to dump all 300g of water directly into the flour at the very beginning of the autolyse phase will saturate the proteins too quickly, leaving you with a soup-like mess that cannot develop an elastic gluten network. Reserving 50g of that liquid (bassinage) allows the flour to form a strong, tight web first, which can then easily trap and hold the extra moisture when introduced in slow, rhythmic splashes later.
– **The Reverse Inversion Trick:** Right before loading the loaves into the oven, you must flip the proofed ciabattas completely over onto the parchment paper so the bottom side faces up. This step is a classic Italian baking technique; flipping the loaf redistribute the wet starches and gases, pushing the large air bubbles that accumulated at the top back down into the heart of the crumb, preventing a hollow top crust and creating an even, airy texture.
– **The Sticky Cut-Side Folding Technique:** When dividing the main dough sheet into two loaves with your bench scraper, you expose an ultra-sticky, raw interior line. Folding these flourless sticky sides directly toward each other acts like a structural lock. It creates high internal core tension that forces the wet loaf to puff upward into a plump, uniform slipper shape during the oven spring, rather than spreading out into a thin, flat cracker.
Tried this recipe?
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Bom dia
Que delรญcia, parabรฉns.
Vou querer fazer.
Obrigado.
Muito obrigado! Muito feliz que vocรช gostou! Desejo-lhe sucesso.
how to do because i have no baker stone ? congratulations natalya
Hi!
Thank you!
Sorry to hear you donโt have a baking stone, but with this kind of bread you youโll need long iron pot with lid( to keep ciabatta inside) or you can make Demi ciabattas, and bake them in the regular cast iron pot with lid.
Could this be baked in a Challenger bread pan?
Yes!
Thatโs how Iโm baking it ๐
how to do because i have no baker stone ? congratulations natalya
Bake Demi ciabattas in Dutch oven ๐
Muito feliz querida, pois traduziu para mim. ร muito mais fรกcil. Obrigado. Bjsss.
Hi Natasha, going to try this recipe, looks like the real thing! Just want to check, the 4th stretch and fold is 12pm or 12am?
12 Noon
Thanks
Hello!
Yes! Itโs the best recipe so far!
And yes, 12pm(afternoon) is correct ๐
Thank you for this recipe. After the last stretch and fold at noon and a 15-minute rest, do you then put the dough to rest in the fridge overnight until the next morning? Please confirm.
Hi!
Yes, 15 min rest, and fridge till next morning ๐
Hi, How many hours in the fridge???
Tks
It can be 24-48 hours
I made this over the past couple of days. Easy to follow instructions and the ciabatta came out absolutely beautiful. Open crumb, lightweight, yum. Thank you! I already saved the recipe. Had the bread this evening as a sandwich with homemade walnut basil pesto/Rotisserie chicken/mayo, Irish Dubliner white cheddar, and cherry tomatoes from the backyard, and a Caesar salad on the side. Yum!
OMG! It sounds so delicious!
Thank you so much for sharing. I really appreciate your feedback and support ๐
Dear Natasha thanks for such a great recipe.
If substitute 10 % of starter with poolish and use 30 % of poolish and use dry yeast instead of 10 % starter , How much dry yeast can be?
P.S
I used 30 % poolish and 3 grams instant dry yeast.
Thanks for your respond.
Bob,
Hi!
You can just drop the starter part.
Use all poolish, and add 1-2% more of water to the main dough,
Dough will need little longer time of warm fermentation to reach 30-40% of rise.(about 30 min-1hour)
Other than that just follow all the directions.
Good luck ๐
Bende รงocuklarฤฑma ve eลime bรถyle gรผzel bir sandviรง hazฤฑrlฤฑyorum enfes
Hi dear, i did left the dough over night out side the fridge without adding the salt , i woke up the morning and i added the salt then the oil what should i do next ,,, thank you for the great recipes
Shall i baked it
Thank you so much
Fadela, hi!
Iโm not sure, because you did the opposite way.
But try to proof it, then bake ๐
Hi Natasha!!
Just wanted to thank you for your generosity in sharing all the recipes and tips!!
You’re awesome!!
Carol,
Thank you so much for your feedback and support ๐
Hi Natasha, I have one question, after the last stretch, u mentioned let it rest of 15 mins. Do u have to put in the fridge till the next day? Or can u shape it right away and bake?
Wow, I asked the same question as almost everyone ๐.
Anyways thank you for sharing your amazing recipe.
๐ thank you for your support ๐
Hi Natasha, if I use a Dutch oven do I still have to put ice in? I assume the ice was used to create steam?
Hi!
If you bake in a Dutch oven with lid closed, you donโt need an ice ๐
Hi! Tnx for the recipe.
If I want to use just starter and no bakers yeast, try looking for another recipe, or shuld i make a starter dough with the mother levin, instead of the poolish?
…
Hi!
For sourdough option.
Use 20% of starter
80% hydration,
100% flour
2% salt
And oil
Great
Thank u a lot!
Hi, I am excited to try this recipe. Can you please let me know what kind of bin you are using for the bulk rise overnight? Is it a ziplock with a lid and if so what size? Thanks so much!
Hi!
Yes, itโs just regular food container with lid.
Size doesnโt matter.
Use any size you feel more convenient for you.
Which flour would you use for poolish?
Bread flour or all purpose will work๐
When your proving the bread in the couche is the seam on the bottom and does that seam stay on the bottom when you transfer it to the oven?
You have to flip it before baking.
Bottom will become a top.
Ar thanks for the tip ๐
How many or how long do you stretch and fold? This looks like an amazing recipe! I can’t wait to try it. Is it OK to oil my hands or should I dampen them with water when I stretch and fold? I think bun shapes would be great for sandwiches and burgers.
Any tips on making this in a gas oven? I have made this so many times successfully in an electric oven but recently moved and am devastated when my loaves come out burnt on the bottom despite me putting the tray in the upper 1/3rd of the oven!
This is all greek to me. So confused.
Must be for experts and their lingo
Iโm not sure what I did wrong. My starter was not bubbling and the poolish was not either. Itโs. 0.5gram dry active starter correct? I know the dry active starter is good, I tested it before hand.
The starter that I keep in my kitchen is active and bubbly but the one I mixed for this recipe was pretty flat with a couple bubbles. Maybe Iโll make the recipe again tonight for another batch. Iโll see how these do for the overnight fermentation.
Do I understand right that after last stretch and fold and rising 40% we put in in refrigerator untill next morning? Because you didn’t mention that.
Thank you.
Yes, you are correct! After the final stretch and fold and allowing the dough to rise by 40%, you can place it in the refrigerator overnight. This will help develop the flavor and texture of the dough. Thank you for pointing that out, and happy baking!
I didnโt understand the last part, dividing the dough into 2 equal parts and fold each dough! Can you please explain more?
Divide the dough into 2 equal parts, then fold sticky part to each other(this way you’ll get puffier ciabattas. Or you can proof them as is, without folding(ciabatta will have less volume)