This Super Fluffy & Easy Sourdough Ciabatta uses a really simple high-hydration dough. There is also a dough lamination technique that I haven't shared before that is in this recipe as well.

This recipe does not use a specific levain, so that makes things really simple. You can just use a 100% hydration starter (or a 1:1:1 ratio starter; you can see more on this in my ultimate guide to sourdough starter).

This sourdough ciabatta recipe also requires no kneading, but does use a lamination technique to help create airiness in the dough.

This recipe makes one large ciabatta (think 8x12 inches!), which is perfect if you slice it down crosswise and put some sandwich fixings in between. Then you just slice up some squares and yum!

You'll notice that the crumb in these photos looks super whole wheat but the recipe actually only uses 30g of whole wheat flour. This helps achieve a depth of flavor that adds to whatever you're using this ciabatta for, whether that's a sandwich or just a piece with some olive oil.

What makes ciabatta unique?

Ciabatta uses a high-hydration dough. So, this specific recipe's dough is actually 87% hydration. When working with high-hydration dough, it can be difficult to build enough strength to hold its shape well when baking.

Now, in a ciabatta recipe, we can be a little more loosey-goosey than, say, for a boule recipe. But we still want enough strength so that this bread can puff up and maintain its shape. If there was not enough gluten strength in this recipe, your ciabatta would end up very flat and spread out.

So for this ciabatta, we are relying on a long autolyze and some unusual folding techniques to build lots of gluten strength to get that tender, airy crumb while still holding a rectangular shape.

The gluten strength is what gives our ciabatta the ability to puff up into this darling pillow. It's actually the cutest thing. A ciabatta pillow.

Sourdough Lamination Technique

One day I will do a whole recipe or post devoted to sourdough lamination but today, I'll just briefly address it.

Sourdough lamination is when you take the dough and gently stretch it out into a large rectangle. The dough will be almost as thin to be able to read a newspaper through (just like the method when you stretch dough to see if the gluten is developed properly). When the whole dough is thin and stretched out, you fold it up, overlapping it over itself multiple times and then proceed with the rest of the recipe.

So it's a similar method to croissant lamination, but we only perform the lamination one time in the recipe and that's why I love it so much. It's just one step that achieves a lot: better gluten strength, better crumb in the end, and in recipes that involve inclusions, it can be where you would add those.

I don't often come across this lamination technique often in sourdough recipes across the internet, but it has served me very well and I'm happy to share it with you all in this recipe and in future ones. I almost always use this technique in sourdough recipes that require good gluten strength and it has helped me achieve a light and airy crumb many times.

The method is quite simple once you try it, but it can be hard to imagine. I've embedded a video below by Challenger Breadware that shows the lamination technique. I also guide you through it in the recipe, but if it's confusing, please watch the video.

Sourdough Ciabatta: A note on timings

In this recipe, I write literal timings for each step (e.g. at 11am, do xyz). The reason I do this is because it's roughly a 48 hour recipe, I've just already determined the best specific timings for you that takes large time gaps into account (like sleeping, haha).

So the recipe timing rundown goes like this:

Day one:

11am: Feed your sourdough starter and place it in a warm place (around 75F)
1pm: Create your dough for autolyze (so, minus the starter and salt)
3pm: Add the starter
4pm: Add the salt
5pm: Spread your dough into a thin large rectangle, then fold it up and place it in a container
6pm: Coil fold #1
7pm: Coil fold #2
8pm: Coil fold #3
10pm: Place in the fridge for 36 hours.

Day three:

10am: Shape the dough and begin proofing
2pm: Preheat the oven to 450F
3pm: Bake for 10 minutes at 450F, then turn the oven down to 425F and bake for another 10 minutes
4:30pm: It's ready to eat!

Now, go get to making this little sourdough ciabatta pillow!