No-knead ciabatta from five ingredients: mix 350 ml of water, 2 g of dry yeast, 20 ml of olive oil, 450 g of flour and a teaspoon of salt with a spatula, let it rise in the fridge overnight, fold once with oiled hands, divide into six rustic pieces, rest 30–40 minutes and bake 15 minutes at 250 °C. Bakery crust, zero kneading. Makes 6.
Instructions
- 1
In a baking dish, combine the water, yeast, olive oil, flour and salt; mix gently with a spatula until no dry flour is left — sticky is correct.
- 2
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate — think hours, not minutes; overnight is best.
- 3
Next day, with oiled hands, fold the puffy dough inwards from all sides — one gentle fold builds strength without kneading.
- 4
Dust the top with flour, flip it onto a floured surface and divide into six rustic pieces.
- 5
Move the pieces to a parchment-lined tray, cover with a towel and rest 30–40 minutes while the oven heats to its maximum.
35:00 - 6
Bake at 250 °C until golden, crisp and loud when you break one open.
15:00
Watch the video
Notes from our kitchen
Only 2 g of yeast is the point, not a typo — the slow, cold overnight rise is what builds the airy, bubbly crumb. The dough never stops being sticky; oiled hands for the fold and flour only for the outside. The hands stay clean the whole way — everything happens with a spatula and one fold.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why only 2 grams of yeast?
A small dose of yeast working slowly in the fridge develops flavor and big irregular bubbles — the signature ciabatta crumb. More yeast would rise the dough faster but denser and blander. The overnight wait is doing the kneading for you.
The dough is too sticky to shape — is that wrong?
No — sticky is exactly what makes the inside light and bubbly. Don’t add flour to the dough itself; use oiled hands for the fold, dust flour only on the outside surfaces, and handle it as little as possible.
Can I bake it the same day?
Give it at least a few hours in the fridge — the crumb needs the slow rise. If you want same-day bread from this video, the flour-and-water flatbreads are the quick option; the ciabatta is the plan-ahead one.