Ciabatta Means Slipper
By Andris Lagsdin
I just wrapped a class with 100+ people making ciabatta together. Same dough I've been teaching for 13 years, just bumped up to 75% hydration, wetter, slacker, more bubbles, more chaos.
Here's something most people don't know: ciabatta isn't ancient.
It was invented in 1982 by an Italian baker named Arnaldo Cavallari in the Veneto region. He was sick of watching French baguettes win the sandwich market in Italy, so he created an Italian alternative that could hold up to fillings without going soggy.
He named it after his wife's worn-out house slipper.
Ciabatta means slipper in Italian. The bread is shaped like one, long, flat, irregular, slightly floppy. So when you pull it out of the oven and it looks ugly and uneven? That's not a mistake. That's the bread.
What 75% hydration gets you
If you've made my 72-hour pizza dough, you know it's around 65% hydration. For ciabatta, we go higher, 75%. More water means more bubbles, more open crumb, more crackle in the crust.
It's also stickier. Wet hands, bench scraper, don't try to knead it like normal bread. Let the dough do the work.
The result is what you see in the photo above, irregular shapes, wild holes, golden crust. That's a real long-fermented ciabatta. That's the slipper.
The recipe
Same long-fermentation method as my pizza dough, just more water:
- 500g organic flour (High Mountain from Central Milling)
-
375g water (up from 325g)
- 16g salt
- 1g instant yeast
Mix, rest at room temp for 1 hour, then 72 hours in the fridge.
On bake day: gently divide the dough into rough rectangles (don't ball, don't degas), bench rest 30-60 minutes, dimple the tops, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with flaky salt, and launch onto a screaming hot Baking Steel.
The bubbles you trapped during fermentation? They're the entire point. Be gentle. Handle the dough like you'd handle a sleeping baby.
Skip the measuring
If you'd rather not weigh out organic flour and instant yeast on a Sunday, I package this exact ratio in our 72-Hour Pizza Dough Mix. Same organic flour I use at home. Just add water and time. For ciabatta, bump the water up to get to 75% hydration and follow the same steps.
The class
We made these together on a Wednesday at noon. 100+ people on Zoom. Free, live, no script. Just me, the dough, and a lot of "look how alive this is" moments.
Every loaf in that class was baked on a Baking Steel. That bottom crust you saw? That's the steel doing it. Snag one Baking Steel Original
Next class is coming soon. Keep an eye on your inbox.
Andris
About the Author
Andris Lagsdin invented the Baking Steel in 2012 using steel from his family's Stoughton Steel Company in Hanover, MA, a shop his family has run since the 1970s. What started as a Kickstarter project (backed after an endorsement from Kenji López-Alt on Serious Eats) has grown into the go-to tool for hundreds of thousands of home pizza makers. Every Baking Steel is still made there today.
Before launching Baking Steel, Andris trained under renowned chef Todd English and spent 15 years in the family steel business. He's the co-author of Baking with Steel with Jesse Olson Moore.
Today he teaches thousands of students how to make pizzeria-quality pizza at home through his free online classes and recipes.
In 2026, Andris launched the 72-Hour Pizza Dough Mix, the same recipe he's been teaching for over a decade, now in a bag. Just add water.
Full Class Transcript: Ciabatta, The Slipper Bread
The following is a lightly edited transcript of Andris Lagsdin's live ciabatta baking class. Questions from class participants are included throughout.
The History: Why Ciabatta Means "Slipper"
Hey everyone, Andris here coming to you live from Grand Rapids, the studio.
Let's talk bread today, ciabatta bread. A little history first. This bread was actually invented in the 1980s in northern Italy. A race car driver who was also a baker on the side got so frustrated that baguettes were dominating the market. He wanted Italians to have their own answer, so he invented ciabatta. The word ciabatta literally means "slipper" in Italian, he named it after his wife's slipper. That's what these flat, rustic loaves are modeled after.
The inventor's name was Arnaldo Cavallari, and he created something that was rustic, simple, and perfect for sandwiches. And that's it, we can now rival the baguettes.
The Dough: High Hydration Is the Key
This is a 24-hour dough, and it's a very high hydration bread. For our standard pizza dough, we use 70% hydration, that's 350 grams of water to 500 grams of flour. For ciabatta, we bump that up to 75%, which means closer to 375 grams of water.
The dough is going to be sticky and hard to handle. That's not a problem — that's exactly what we're looking for. The more water, the more air holes. That open, holey crumb structure is what makes ciabatta ciabatta.
I mixed this dough 24 hours ago. When I pull it out, you can see the gluten strands, beautiful, stretchy, alive.
The Recipe
•500 grams bread flour (I use Central Milling organic, high-protein — about 13.5% protein)
•375 grams water (room temperature) — that's about 1¾ cups
That's it. Four ingredients.
Why So Little Yeast?
Great question, and one that comes up every class. Old recipes called for a full packet of yeast (about 9 grams). But when you're fermenting dough for 24 hours or longer, you don't need that much. A small amount of yeast gets fermentation started, and then natural fermentation takes over. One gram is more than enough for a long, slow ferment.
If you're making dough and baking the same day, you'd need more yeast to speed things up. But for 24-hour or longer ferments, less is more.
The Fermentation: Why It Matters for Your Health
Here's something I can't stress enough. When we ferment dough for 24, 48, or 72 hours, the gluten proteins in the flour break down. That makes the bread significantly easier to digest.
You've probably heard people say they go to Italy, eat pasta and bread every day, and feel great — but they struggle with bread at home. The difference is fermentation time. Italian bakeries typically ferment their breads for a minimum of 24 hours. When the glutens break down through fermentation, people who have gluten sensitivities (not celiac disease, but intolerances) often find they can eat this bread without any issues.
This is a healthy version of bread. I eat a lot of it, and I feel great.
Mixing the Dough: Step by Step
1.Add your flour to a bowl
2.Add salt, then yeast — one at a time — and whisk together with a dry whisk
3.Add room temperature water
4.Use a bench scraper to fold and incorporate everything until you have a big, shaggy mess
5.Dump it out onto your counter and knead for 2–3 minutes
6.Cover tightly with a lid or Saran Wrap
7.Let it sit at room temperature (68–72°F) for 24 hours
After 24 hours, your dough is ready to shape.
Shaping: Embrace the Rustic
This is where ciabatta is different from pizza. We are not balling this dough up. We are not trying to make it perfect. We want rustic.
1.Generously flour your surface with a 50/50 mix of bread flour and semolina flour — the semolina acts like ball bearings and helps the dough slide
2.Turn the dough out onto the floured surface
3.Pat it gently into a rough rectangle
4.Use a dough cutter to cut it into squares or rectangles — no shaping, just cutting
5.Stretch each piece out like an accordion — like a slipper
No two loaves will look alike. That's the point. Ciabatta is supposed to be rustic.
Baking: Steel + Steam
Preheat your oven to 450°F with your Baking Steel inside for at least an hour before you bake.
For steam — which helps create that beautiful crust — I toss 4 or 5 ice cubes into the oven when I load the bread. A better method is to have a pan on the bottom rack and throw the ice cubes onto that pan when you launch. It keeps the steam more consolidated. You can also use a spray bottle to mist the loaves right before they go in.
Dust your peel generously with the flour/semolina mix, place your loaves on it, and launch onto the steel. Bake for 15–18 minutes.
Launch tip: Keep the peel at about a 45-degree angle and let the dough slide off with a quick, confident jerk motion. Don't go too steep or the dough will fold over on itself. Be calm, be fast, and don't panic.
Frequently Asked Questions from Class
Can I use dough from the freezer?
Yes. If your dough is already balled up and frozen, just thaw it, then stretch it out like an accordion. No need to re-ball it for ciabatta. If your frozen dough came out flat and dead, the yeast may have died — try adding a little extra yeast when you know you're going to freeze, and always ball the dough tightly before freezing.
How do I add more water to the dough?
Don't add water to already-mixed dough. Instead, when you first mix the dough, use 375 grams of water instead of the standard 350. That's when you adjust hydration — at the mixing stage.
Can I use a sourdough starter instead of yeast?
Absolutely. Remove 50 grams of flour and 50 grams of water from the recipe, and add 100 grams of active sourdough starter in their place. The starter is essentially 100% hydration (equal parts flour and water), so the math works out. If your starter is active and healthy, you don't need additional yeast — but a small amount won't hurt as a kickstart.
Can I use double zero (00) flour?
Yes, 100%. Some bakers prefer it over bread flour. It's really a matter of preference. I personally love organic bread flour — specifically Central Milling High Mountain — for its high protein content (13.5%) and its ability to handle long fermentations of 3–4 days without breaking down.
Can I substitute whole wheat flour?
Yes — try swapping 50 grams of bread flour for whole wheat. That's about 10% of the recipe, which is a good starting point. Just keep in mind that whole wheat absorbs water differently, so you may need to adjust slightly.
Can I substitute beer for the water?
One of my favorite experiments. Substitute one-for-one. You'll taste the hops and malt in the finished bread. Coffee also works really well — I've made coffee rolls with coffee dough. Champagne, Sprite — I've tried them all. Beer is probably the most popular.
Can I use cornmeal for dusting instead of semolina?
You can, but I don't love it. Cornmeal tends to burn on a hot steel, and burnt corn flavor on bread isn't great. I prefer a 50/50 mix of bread flour and semolina — the semolina gives you the non-stick "ball bearing" effect without burning as easily.
Should I use parchment paper?
Parchment is a great option, especially if you're less confident with the launch. Place all your loaves on parchment and slide the whole thing onto the steel. Just never use parchment with the broiler — it can't handle that heat. Silpat mats also work well (they handle up to 450–500°F) and are reusable.
One steel or two steels?
One steel is all you need. I use the bottom steel for bread — it gives a little more room and the loaves spring up nicely. Two steels are for volume — if you're making 10+ pizzas or multiple loaves at once, two steels double your output. Think of one steel as a single-deck oven and two steels as a double-decker.
How long can dough stay in the fridge?
I do 24 hours at room temperature first, then 1–3 more days in the fridge. I've gone 5–6 days in the fridge before. If I didn't get around to making pizza, I'll just turn the dough into bread rather than waste it.
What oven temperature?
450°F, preheated for at least an hour with the steel inside.
How do I know when it's done?
About 15–18 minutes. You're looking for a golden-brown color and a firm bottom. The loaves will spring up and have a nice crust.
The Result
When you pull these out of the oven, you'll have rustic, flat, slipper-shaped loaves with a crisp crust and an open, airy crumb. Slice one in half — that's your sandwich bread. Dip it in olive oil and butter. Toast it. It's incredibly simple and incredibly good.
This is essentially bringing Italy home. Simple ingredients, long fermentation, hot steel. That's the whole secret.
