You will need a stand mixer with a paddle attachment to make this easy no-knead ciabatta bread recipe. I turned it into four paninis & a cheese and tomato loaf too. There is no kneading or lengthy overnight proving required. It is the easiest and most delicious same-day ciabatta bread I have tasted from a domestic oven.

The recipe makes either two medium ciabatta loaves or eight paninis out of one batch. Or you can do a combination of the two. This dough can be topped with roasted tomatoes and two types of cheese for an alternative version.

I developed this recipe for Gideon MIlling using a combination of their stone-ground whole wheat and white bread flour. White bread flour would give you a more traditional ciabatta-style bread. Their whole wheat flour is the only flour in South Africa that has wheat germ in the flour. It has not been sifted out. The quality and flavour are far superior to any other flour I have worked with and perfect for bread making.

When you are making something as simple as bread with basic flour, yeast and water, you want to be using the best product you can find. I love the integrity and provenance behind the brand and after having met one of the owners, the passion they have for sourcing and milling the best flour is remarkable.

*For the cheese & tomato topping (to make 1 x bread using 40%- 50% of the dough):

Approx 16 cherry tomatoes, some cut in half & some whole (your choice)
Drizzle lightly with olive oil and season with salt & pepper and roast for 20 minutes at 180C / 350 F for 15 minutes (make in advance) – allow to cool.
Olive oil
A handful of hard mature cheese such as Parmesan, Grana Padano or Dalewood Fromage Huguenot (grated).
1 handful of mature Cheddar or mature gouda (grated)

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How to make an easy ciabatta video:

Recipe – The dough recipe makes 2 medium ciabattas, 8 paninis or 2 cheese breads (or combinations thereof)

I made 4 paninis and 1 cheese & tomato bread – adapted from Ilse van der Merwe’s book Cape Mediterranean

Prep Time:1 45

Cook Time:25

Ingredients

Easy stand mixer ciabatta recipe:

380 g Gideon Milling white bread flour
120 g Gideon Milling – whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp instant yeast
1 1/2 tsp fine salt
1 Tbsp caster sugar
500 ml luke warm water

Instructions

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add all the dry ingredients. Mix briefly to combine.
While the machine is on low, slowly add the lukewarm water. Once it is incorporated turn the speed up to high and beat for 7 – 8 minutes. Make sure you watch this as you will need to turn the speed down to medium-low once the dough thickens up (approx 5 – 6 mins in). The mixer could become unstable at high speed and the motor could overheat.
After the dough has been beaten, scrape any excess off that is stuck to the paddle and drop it back into the bowl and cover with cling film and a tea towel. Place in a warm spot until it has more than doubled in size (about 50 mins – 90 mins depending on room temperature).
Towards the end of your proving time, preheat the oven to 230C / 446F and if you are making the cheesy bread, you could preheat a cast-iron skillet (optional).

Tip the dough out onto a well-floured surface. It will have a very light and fluffy texture that is similar to a marshmallow. Dust the surface of the dough with flour using a small sieve to evenly distribute it. Shape your dough as follows:

Cut in half and stretch the 2 pieces into a rectangular shape to make 2 medium ciabatta loaves.
Divide the dough into 8 even pieces to make paninis and shape it accordingly.
Cut in half and stretch the 2 pieces into a round shape to make 2 medium round cheese & tomato bread (or free form into any shape you prefer. This can be made on a large oven tray lined with non-stick paper).
To make 1 cheese bread and 4 panini divide into 60/40 bread using 60% to make the bread and the rest to be divided to make the 4 panini and shape accordingly (this will depend on the size of bread you would like to get).
If you are making cheese & tomato bread in a skillet – drizzle olive oil lightly over the bottom and press the dough into the pan until flattened out. Or simply place it on a lined baking sheet drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle olive oil over the bread and then top first with the mature hard cheese (Parmesan) followed by the grated softer cheese. Finally, place the roasted and cooled tomatoes over the surface. * see baking instructions below
Bake the bread for 20 – 25 minutes. 20 minutes for the panini and 25 minutes for the larger bread. The crust should be golden brown and a little crispy.