# The Easiest Ciabatta

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.

- **Prep:** 30 min · **Cook:** 15 min · **Total:** 45 min
- **Servings:** 6
- **Difficulty:** Easy
- **Cuisine:** Italian
- **Category:** Oven Recipes, Side Dish
- **Video:** [Just Flour and Boiling Water: 5 Homemade Breads](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDpg6V56Csg&t=141s) (recipe starts at 2:21)
- **Recipe page:** https://webspoon.world/recipes/the-easiest-ciabatta/

## Ingredients

- 350 ml water
- 2 g dry yeast (yes, just 2 g — slow rise, airy crumb)
- 20 ml olive oil
- 450 g wheat flour (plus more for dusting)
- 1 tsp salt

## 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. _(timer: 35 min)_
6. Bake at 250 °C until golden, crisp and loud when you break one open. _(timer: 15 min)_

## 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.

## Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

- Calories: 310
- Protein: 9g
- Fat: 5g
- Carbs: 56g
- Fiber: 2g
- Sugar: 0g
- Sodium: 400mg

## FAQ

### 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.

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Source: [The Easiest Ciabatta — Webspoon World](https://webspoon.world/recipes/the-easiest-ciabatta/)