Are you ready to elevate your gluten-free baking game? Look no further than the delectable world of Gluten-Free Ciabatta Bread! This Italian classic is known for its airy texture, crisp crust, and versatile nature, making it the perfect addition to any meal or snack. In this blog post, we’ll dive into the art of crafting the bread, sharing tips, tricks, and recipes to help you achieve bakery-quality results in your own kitchen.
Ciabatta bread, a staple of Italian cuisine, is beloved for its chewy interior and crispy crust. And guess what? You can enjoy all the deliciousness of ciabatta bread without any gluten! This inspired recipe delivers the same light and airy texture as traditional ciabatta, ensuring that those with gluten sensitivities or dietary restrictions can still indulge in this beloved bread.
Making gluten-free ciabatta bread at home is easier than you might think.
With just a few simple ingredients and some patience, you can whip up a batch of fresh, flavorful ciabatta bread that rivals anything you’d find at a bakery. Plus, our recipe is completely customizable, so you can adjust it to suit your taste preferences and dietary needs and it goes great with these sandwich ideas.
So what are you waiting for? Whether you’re a seasoned baker or a novice in the kitchen, you’ll love the satisfaction of creating your own delicious loaves from scratch. So roll up your sleeves, preheat your oven, and let’s get started on this gluten-free baking adventure!
Weigh your ingredients with a food scale
Selecting the ideal food scale for baking bread is crucial for achieving precise results in your recipes. When making your choice, prioritize accuracy, capacity, and user-friendliness. Opt for a scale with high accuracy, preferably in grams for precise measurements. Ensure the scale can handle the volume of ingredients you typically use in your bread recipes by checking its capacity. Look for intuitive controls and a clear display to make the scale easy to use. Investing in a reliable food scale will enhance your baking experience and ensure consistent, delicious results. For a highly-rated food scale, check out this option.
Our Favorite Bread Recipe: Ciabatta Bread!
This recipe is from our dear friends at The Loopy Whisk! We have been baking bread like crazy over here because The Loopy Whisk has truly created amazing gluten free breads!!! We get to play with the grain and flour blends to make them how we want! We love choices!
Ciabatta bread is so easy and you can double the recipe and keep it in the fridge for easy use or freeze them. They make 6 individual breads that last about a week in the fridge once baked, but are great right from the freezer too. You’ll love this easy recipe with great results that novice first time bread makers will feel so good about.
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Ciabatta Bread
- Total Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 15 g (3 tbsp) whole psyllium husk (If using psyllium husk powder, use only 13g.)
- 360 g (1 1/2 cups) lukewarm water, (NOT tap water)
- 120 g (3/4 cup + 2 tbsp) ground brown rice flour
- 115 g (1 cup) tapioca starch
- 80 g (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) sorghum flour
- 15 g (1 Tbsp) 1 Tbsp. honey
- 8 g (2 1/2 tsp) instant yeast (If using active dry yeast, use 10g.)
- 6 g (1 tsp) Celtic Sea salt, fine grind
- 25 g (2 tbsp) olive oil, cold pressed organic
- 8 g (1 1/2 tsp) apple cider vinegar
Instructions
Making the dough:
You can prepare the dough using a stand mixer with a dough hook attachment or use a whisk by hand.
- Make the psyllium gel: In a bowl, mix together the psyllium husk and lukewarm water. After about 30-45 seconds, a gel will form.
- In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer (if using), whisk together the millet flour, tapioca starch, sorghum flour, sugar, instant yeast and salt. Tip: If using active dry yeast instead, you need to activate it first. Mix it together with the sugar and 120g (½ cup) of the water listed in the recipe (note that that means you’ll use less water to make the psyllium gel). Set aside for 5-10 minutes, or until the mixture starts frothing. Then, add it to the dry ingredients along with the psyllium gel, olive oil and vinegar.
- Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and add the psyllium gel, olive oil and vinegar.
- Knead the dough until it’s smooth and all the ingredients are evenly incorporated. Use a rubber spatula to occasionally scrape along the sides and bottom of the bowl to prevent any dry patches of unmixed flour.
- The final dough should be smooth, supple and fairly soft, with no lumps of un-mixed flour or psyllium gel, and it should come away from the sides of the mixing bowl. It will be slightly sticky to the touch, but resist the temptation to add more flour to it, as that can make your ciabatta rolls too dense and dry.
- Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and give it a gentle knead, shaping it into a ball.
- Generously flour your work surface and roll out the dough into a rough rectangle, about 10×8½ inches (25x22cm) in size and just over ½ inch (1.5cm) thick.
- Use a bench scraper or a sharp knife to divide the dough into six fairly equal smaller rectangles. Don’t worry if they’re a bit uneven or wonky or of different shapes: ciabatta rolls are meant to be rustic!
- Flip the ciabatta rolls upside down, so that their generously floured bottoms face upwards, and transfer them onto a large sheet of parchment/baking paper. Make sure that they’re evenly spaced apart and not touching. (Ciabatta bread is known for its crusty, flour-streaked exterior, so don’t be tempted to brush off any of the excess flour.)
- Make sure that your parchment/baking paper will comfortably fit onto your baking steel, baking stone or baking sheet.
- Lightly cover the ciabatta rolls with a sheet of plastic wrap/cling film (to prevent them from drying out) and proof in a warm spot until doubled in size, this should take about 1 hour.
- Tip: If your kitchen is on the cold side, put a cup of boiling hot water into your (turned-off) oven – that will create the perfect warm, slightly humid proofing environment.
Baking the ciabatta rolls:
- Place a baking steel, a baking stone or a heavy-duty baking sheet turned upside-down on the lower middle oven rack and a cast iron skillet or metal baking tray (not glass!) on the bottom of the oven. Preheat the oven to 475ºF (250ºC). Make sure to thoroughly preheat your oven, start preheating it after your rolls have been proofing for about 15 minutes.
- Tip: Because you’ll add ice cubes to the hot baking tray on the bottom of your oven to generate steam, it will experience quite a huge temperature change. So, don’t use a glass baking tray/pan as it could shatter. I recommend cast iron, but a metal baking tray also works great.
- Once your rolls have doubled in size, slide them (along with the parchment/baking paper) onto the hot baking steel, baking stone or baking sheet. Place 5-6 ice cubes into the bottom skillet or baking tray, close the oven door and immediately reduce the oven temperature to 425ºF (220ºC).
- Bake the ciabatta rolls at 425ºF (220ºC) with steam for 10 minutes. Don’t open the oven door during that time.
- After the 10 minutes, open the oven door to let out the steam and remove the bottom skillet or baking tray. Close the oven, keep the oven temperature at 425ºF (220ºC) and bake for 15 minutes longer until the rolls are deep golden brown.
- Remove the ciabatta rolls from the oven and cool them on a wire rack.
- It’s very important that you allow them to cool completely to room temperature before you cut into them. If you slice into them while they’re still hot or warm, you’ll find that the interior can still be quite sticky, as it needs some time to cool and set.
Storage & reheating:
These gluten free ciabatta rolls are definitely at their very best fresh, on the day of baking. However, they keep very well in a closed container for 3-4 days, you just need to reheat them briefly before serving and eating them.
You can reheat them either in a 350ºF (180ºC) oven for 6-8 minutes, or toast/reheat them in a toaster.
Notes
Equipment:
- 1 food grade scale
- Mixing Bowl
- Whisk
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Parchment paper sheets
- Baking pizza stone or heavy cookie sheet for baking
- Small cast iron pan or heavy stainless pain
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
Frequently Asked Questions
Is gluten-free ciabatta bread difficult to make at home?
Creating this recipe requires some patience and attention to detail, but it’s certainly achievable with the right recipe and technique. With our step-by-step instructions, you’ll be well on your way to mastering gluten-free ciabatta bread in no time!
Can I substitute different gluten-free flours in the recipe?
Absolutely! Our recipe calls for a blend of gluten-free flours, but feel free to experiment with different combinations to suit your taste preferences. Just be sure to maintain the overall ratio of flours to ensure proper texture and consistency.
How should I store gluten-free ciabatta bread?
To keep your bread fresh, store it in an airtight container or resealable bag at room temperature for up to two days. For longer storage, you can freeze the bread and thaw slices as needed. Just be sure to wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and place it in a freezer-safe bag or container before freezing.