Seeded Ciabatta Twist
By Emma
Certified Culinary Professional
•
Recipe tested & approved
Vegetarian, vegan, no nuts, no dairy, no eggs. Fast levain starter with a seeded dough enriched by olive oil. Semolina sprinkled for crust crunch. Uses a mix of sesame, chia, and fennel seeds replacing original poppy and anise. Slightly tweaked hydration, proofing time adjusted for better gluten development. Oven steps bumped down a bit. Uses water temp and tactile folds to gauge dough readiness. Shaping into long rectangles folded then divided into 8 loaves. Bake on parchment over inverted tray for rustic bottom heat. Aroma fills the kitchen mid-bake. Crust crisp, crumb open, chewy with seed crunch.
Prep:
50 min
Cook:
20 min
Total:
Servings:
8 servings
#Italian-inspired
#vegan
#levain
#seeded bread
#artisan bread
#homemade bread
Started messing with ciabatta years ago but always found dough fiddly. Levain too fast or slow meant heavy bread or dense crumb. So I trimmed the yeast in starter and balanced hydration down a notch. Seeds swapped too, went for chia and fennel. Texture’s changed; sweeter aroma, more crunch. Played with folding timing; quicker folds means less stickiness on hands, dough feels nicer. Bulk proofing nearer 2 hours. The smell of fermenting dough is hypnotizing, that yeasty, sweet tang. Oven heat blast followed by steady bake sets crust sharp and crunchy. Collapse avoided by gentle turns, not heavy pressing. Learned tricks to keep dough lively. Whenever I bake, I’m listening for crust crackle and watching crumb color nuances. The tactile stretch, that floaty lightness when cut, these are signs a good bake.
Ingredients
Quick Levain
- 105 g (3/4 cup) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 110 ml (1/2 cup) room temperature water
- 2 ml (1/3 tsp) instant yeast
Dough
- 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) toasted sesame seeds
- 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) chia seeds
- 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) fennel seeds
- 320 ml (1 1/3 cup) room temperature water
- 420 g (2 3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 50 ml (3 1/2 tbsp) olive oil
- 6 ml (1 1/4 tsp) salt
- 12 ml (2 1/2 tsp) fine semolina or cornmeal
About the ingredients
Flour quality key here – unbleached all-purpose or bread flour for good gluten structure. If subbing flours, whole wheat or spelt can work but adjust water upward 10-20 ml, dough will get denser. Seeds: swapped poppy and anise for chia and fennel to shift aroma profile. Toast seeds lightly to open oils, but fresh raw adds slight bitterness. Olive oil not just flavor, it keeps crumb moist longer. Salt measured carefully; too much kills yeast action. Semolina or cornmeal dusting on baking tray crucial for crust texture. Yeast amount reduced in levain to avoid over-fermentation. Water temp roomish to not shock yeast but keep activity going steady. You can refrigerate dough overnight to enhance flavor and timing if desired.
Method
Quick Levain
- Mix flour, water, yeast vigorously in large bowl till uniform. Cover with cloth, rest at room temp about 1h40m till volume doubles and surface bubbly, bubbly = good, if not wait 10-15m more.
Seed Mixture
- Combine sesame, chia, fennel seeds in small bowl. Toast lightly if not toasted already for punchy aroma, but if seeds fresh, raw okay.
Dough Assembly
- Pour water into levain. Whisk briefly to break lumps but some lumps okay. Add flour, olive oil, and salt. Stir with spatula or wooden spoon about 3 minutes till dough absorbs flour and shiny. Throw in seed mix, incorporate well. Cover. Rest 25 minutes to hydrate.
Stretch and Fold
- Wet hand, reach in bowl, grab dough edge stretch away, fold back over dough pile. Rotate bowl quarter turn. Repeat this fold-thrust-four times. Dough feels stronger, smoother now. Cover. Rest 1h50m or refrigerate overnight if planning ahead. Look for dough puffiness not bounce back too quick.
Prep for Baking
- Line 33x46 cm baking tray upside down with parchment. Spread semolina or cornmeal evenly on paper. It forms gritty crust layer below loaves.
Shaping
- Flour workspace generously. Turn dough out carefully, no squashing. Dust dough top with flour. Pick up dough at sides, stretch gently, flatten to rough 45x28 cm rectangle. Don’t press flat, retain bubbles. Fold long edges inward to form long log shape, like baguette but shorter. Use bench scraper or knife. Cut evenly into 8 portions.
- Place them spaced apart on semolina sheet. Dust tops lightly. Cover loosely with kitchen towel. Let rest 40-50 minutes. Dough should inflate slightly, light to touch, slight spring back.
Oven Prep
- Middle rack is better than center for even heat, place an inverted sheet tray on rack below to create hot surface. Preheat oven to 245 °C (475 °F).
Baking
- Slide tray with parchment and loaves onto hot inverted tray. Close door fast. Drop oven temp to 220 °C (430 °F). Listen for oven spring – audible crackling first 5 minutes. Bake 20-23 minutes till loaves golden brown, crust crisp, tap bottom and hear hollow sound.
- Cool fully on wire rack. Crust should feel firm, crumb open with irregular holes, seeds toasty in each bite.
Cooking tips
Levain mix needs vigorous stirring to introduce enough air, bubbling confirms yeast activity — skip if no bubbles after 2 hours, dough won’t rise properly downstream. In dough mixing, don’t overwork or gluten breaks down, rhythm of 3 minutes minimum enough. Resting phases hydrate flour fully, don’t skip for dense crumb. Folding stretch fold builds structure gently, skip the slap-and-fold here or dough turns tough. Make sure hand is wet before folding to avoid dough sticking — that messes with gluten network. Overnight fermentation in fridge changes flavor; bring dough to room temp fully before shaping. When shaping, keep handling gentle to keep air pockets intact. Use the sound test, hollow tap on bottom — if dull, back in oven a bit. Cooling fully before cutting prevents gummy crumb from sticky steam. Oven preheat with hot tray underneath crucial, gives bottom crackle. Don’t open oven during first 10 minutes, steam loss kills oven spring.
Chef's notes
- 💡 Levain starter needs vigorous stirring; air means yeast alive. Wait for bubbled top, if not, extend timing but check water temp and yeast freshness. Too cold water slows things; too hot kills yeast. Use room temp water steady–steady activity, avoid sudden temp jumps.
- 💡 Stretch and fold technique beat slap-and-fold here. Wet your hand enough to keep dough from sticking but not dripping. Stretch edges gently, fold back–repeat quarter turns. Builds gluten gently, texture tightens slowly. Folds faster means less stick on fingers but watch dough feel.
- 💡 Seed mix toasted lightly unlock oils, aroma pops—too raw brings slight bitterness. Toast quickly on dry pan; don’t burn. Incorporate seeds post dough mixing to prevent crushing seeds under heavy knead. Seeds swell slight during proof but keep shape.
- 💡 Oven heat needs balance. Preheat oven hot, tray underneath flipped for direct heat to bottom crust. Slide parchment with dough quickly to avoid temp dips. Original 245 dropping to 220 sets crust sharp, crust crackle audible first 5 minutes. Avoid oven door open under first 10 minutes.
- 💡 Shaping crucial; avoid squashing air bubbles. Dough stretched to specific rectangle, fold edges inward rather than pressing flat. Cuts into loaves maintain air pockets. Resting after shaping lets dough inflate slightly. Use surface semolina dust for rustic bottom texture, grains act like sandpaper under loaf.
Common questions
Why does levain not bubble after 2 hours?
Yeast inactive or water too cold. Check yeast freshness. Extend wait but bubbles crucial–no bubbles, no rise downstream. Stirring introduces air–skip that, yeast lazy. Room temp varies; too hot kills, too cold slows.
Can whole wheat flour substitute here?
Yes, but add extra water 10-20 ml. Denser dough expected. Alters gluten network; crumb tighter, less open. Seed balance ok same. Longer proof recommended. For spelt, similar adjust water. Gluten strength differs.
How to avoid gummy crumb?
Cool fully on wire rack. Cutting early traps steam in crumb, makes sticky texture. Resting helps gel crumb structure firm up. Also, don’t overwater dough; hydration tweaking changed here helps dryness. Also avoid heavy pressing after proof.
Best storage for leftover ciabatta?
Multiple options. Room temp in paper bag keeps crust crisp but short term. For longer, freeze whole or sliced; defrost at room temp. Avoid plastic bags long-term or crust softens. Toast reheats crust surface crisp better than microwave. Moisture balance key.
