Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls (Quick and Easy)
You’ll LOVE these quick and easy Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls. The gently chewy, lightly crisp crust encases a deliciously tender, open-holed crumb, just as it should be. But hang onto them tight… They’re so delicious that even the gluten-eaters will fight you for them! (Also dairy free & Vegan)
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Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls that EVERYONE will love
Ask people to name an Italian bread and most will respond with ‘Ciabatta’… It’s as famous as it is delicious. What’s not to love? The perfectly uneven, open-holed crumb encased in its gently crisp and chewy crust screams everything from al fresco summer lunches served with cheese and salad to winter soup-dipping snuggled by the fire.
As a Coeliac family with an Italian heritage, it’s been ESSENTIAL to develop a gluten free Ciabatta-style dough that would rival its wheat cousin both for flavour and texture as well as versatility… And here we are! Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls that are as easy as they are scrumptious. Hot on the heels of my Panini Rolls, the recipe is minorly tweaked to create one of the quickest breads I’ve made!
Even better, they are so ‘not gluten free’ in taste and texture that even the gluten-eaters can’t get enough of them. Tried, tested and proven!
What makes Ciabatta different?
Ciabatta is quite a recent bread. Familiar for its rustic appearance, open texture and floury crust, it was first created in Rovigo, Italy in 1982. Indeed, it was developed in response to the rising popularity of French Baguettes, which (at the time) were taking Europe by storm. The texture of Ciabatta however (named after its shape and meaning ‘slipper’) is differentiated by the openness of its crumb and flavour… Due first to being made with a high-hydration dough (typically 80% upwards). And also made with olive oil.
My Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls follow tradition for open texture and taste… The recipe shared at the bottom of this post is equivalent to 119% hydration or 112% when the psyllium husk is factored in. This allows the particular additional hydration needs of the gluten free flours to be accounted for… With a balanced ratio of olive oil for softness as well as flavour.
However… be aware that this recipe has been specifically developed for smaller-sized rolls and not one large loaf. For a large loaf you need an entirely different process and some ingredient tweaks… I now have an INCREDIBLE recipe for larger Gluten Free Ciabatta Bread which can be found by clicking here.
Making Ciabatta Rolls is SIMPLE!
This recipe for Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls proves that gluten free bread is not only simple to make but way better than anything you buy. In fact, you’ll wonder why you’ve been eating slices of ‘dry cardboard’ for so long.
Seriously! It’s a single mix, one proof, have it baked, cooled and ready-for-lunch recipe that even the most nervous baker can whip up. Just follow the step-by-step instructions and you’ll be enjoying the most incredible Ciabatta Rolls with zero drama and loads of pride.
Ingredients for making Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls
The gluten free flour blend
My Ciabatta rolls use a specific gluten free flour blend (with some optional variation). The ratios of protein and starch are carefully weighted for optimum structural balance. They are made with:
- Oat, Sorghum or Buckwheat flour (buckwheat gives a more ‘earthy’ flavour and darker crumb).
- Millet flour (which can be substituted with either fine brown rice flour or buckwheat flour (if not used as the other protein flour))
- Tapioca Starch – I wouldn’t advise switching tapioca out (unless you have an intolerance) as it has unique properties and I haven’t tested any specific alternatives. Nonetheless (where necessary), it may be possible to switch to a combination of 70% corn starch/arrowroot + 30% Mochiko flour (Asian/sticky rice flour).
- Potato Starch – Although just a small portion of the flour blend, the potato starch does make a difference in creating a soft texture. However, if you can’t tolerate potato, it can be replaced with an equal weight of additional tapioca starch for this recipe.
See the linked post for more information on Gluten Free Flours and Flour Blending.
Psyllium Husk
Psyllium husk is an ESSENTIAL ingredient used in making gluten free Ciabatta Rolls. It is the thing that supports lasting hydration, stretch, binding, structure and flexibility. No other ingredient offers the same qualities.
For best results, use partially ground whole husks (rough ground!). Partial grinding (for a few seconds in the blender) breaks the husk to allow for more efficient hydration and maximum ‘spring’. I rough-grind all my psyllium in bulk and store it in an airtight container ready to use.
If you can only source more finely ground psyllium powder, reduce the weight used to 14g for a single batch of Ciabatta Rolls.
For more information see my post on Psyllium Husk in Gluten Free Baking.
Other key ingredients
- Instant Yeast – eg Allinson’s Easy Bake. If you only have Dried Active Yeast, increase the weight to 9g per single batch of dough and activate it before use. To do this, whisk the yeast with the honey and about 100g/ml of hand-warm water (taken from the full liquid amount stated in the recipe). Leave it to activate in a warm place until frothy (about 10 mins). Once active, mix it with the rest of the listed wet ingredients and continue with the recipe as written.
- Bicarbonate of Soda – Added to increase the crumb unevenness and aeration in the gluten free Ciabatta Rolls. It’s only a small amount, so you’re unlikely to taste it.
- Olive Oil – Used in keeping with tradition and to ensure authentic flavour. If you don’t have olive oil available however (or authenticity is not important), replace it with the same weight of sunflower oil.
- Honey – It’s natural, doesn’t bring excess sweetness and dissolves more easily in the liquid ingredients. However, if Vegan (or for availability), use maple syrup or caster sugar instead.
Pro Tips to make gluten free Ciabatta Rolls
Weighing Ingredients
To ensure accuracy and consistency, ALL ingredients are stated in grams, whether dry or liquid. Grams are best weighed using digital kitchen scales, preferably with a micro-measure option for smaller amounts such as yeast and salt.
The recipe card does have a conversion button (‘US Customary’) for ounces. However, I would nevertheless still advise weighing in grams where possible. Because they are a lighter measurement, grams are generally considered more accurate.
Prepare the baking paper
Cut a piece of baking paper to the size of the baking steel/tray/stone being used to make the Ciabatta Rolls. The pre-baked, proofed rolls are transferred (on the baking paper) to the baking steel AFTER it is heated to a high temperature. Thus, it’s helpful to cut the paper in half again as sliding a smaller sheet of rolls into the oven is easier and safer.
Making the dough
- Mix all the dry ingredients together in a bowl or an airtight container (shaken vigorously). If weighing them ahead of time (eg. the day before making your Ciabatta Rolls), hold back the yeast until ready to make the dough. If dry yeast and salt come into contact too early, the effectiveness of the yeast will reduce.
- You do NOT need to create a ‘gel’ with the psyllium. Just mix it thoroughly into the dry ingredients before they are added to the wet.
- Check the water is no hotter than ‘hand hot’ (39 to 40 C/102 to 104 F). If it is too hot, it may kill the yeast and the Ciabatta Rolls won’t rise.
- Beat the initial batter until even with no lumps, scraping the bowl down part-way through. The easiest way to beat is using an electric mixer (either a hand mixer or stand mixer) with a dough hook attachment.
- Make sure the dough is properly hydrated… That is for at least 10 minutes after mixing the ingredients and before beating through a second time. Hydration is essential for a thick dough that holds the moisture and is fully shapable.
Shaping gluten free Ciabatta Rolls
- Do NOT add any extra flour, even if the dough feels sticky. The hydration levels are finely tuned for the best texture.
- Because the dough is sticky, it helps to bring it together and knead it with lightly oiled hands (on a lightly oiled surface). Better still, wear lightly oiled vinyl food-safe gloves. They are brilliant when making gluten free bread!
- Once smooth, shape the dough (with hands) into a fat rectangle on a liberally-floured worktop (with a sprinkle of flour on top).
- Roll it into a rectangle roughly 18 cm x 28 cm (7 inches x 11 inches). This will allow 6 larger or 8 smaller Ciabatta Rolls.
- Lightly mark the rolled dough before cutting it, to check equality of size.
- Cut the dough straight down using (for preference) a dough scraper/cutter. Or if not, a long sharp knife.
- Either flip the dough rolls over before transferring to the prepared baking paper to proof… Or sprinkle a dusting of flour over the top for a characteristic Ciabatta appearance.
- Transfer them carefully to the paper with the support of the dough scraper or a spatula. And don’t forget to leave a gap so they don’t stick together on rising/baking.
Proofing the dough
Once transferred to the prepared baking paper, drape a large sheet of clingfilm over the dough Ciabatta Rolls and set them aside in a warmish place. Leave them to proof for around 45 to 60 minutes (depending on room temperature), until they have risen by ½ to ¾ their original size.
It may take longer (if the room is very cool) or be faster (in a very hot climate), so use a bit of baker’s instinct and keep an eye on them. However, as the oven is being preheated (see below), it cannot be used to accelerate the rise.
Essential oven preparation for baking gluten free Ciabatta Rolls
Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls need to be baked on a HOT tray. Thus I advise using one of three options:
- Bread-Maker’s Baking Steel
- Large Steel Baking Tray
- Baking Stone
The recipe has been tested using a bread-maker’s Baking Steel and a steel baking sheet. The baking steel wins hands-down for a better rise and crisper, chewier crust. However, a large baking tray (or a baking stone) still produces great bread.
The oven AND the baking steel/tray MUST be preheated to a high temperature before baking the Ciabatta Rolls. The initial heat blast with added steam ensures the best ‘oven spring’ giving a boost to the rise and an extra open crumb.
The steam is added by pouring a drop of boiling water into a preheated oven-proof (Pyrex/ceramic/metal) dish at the bottom of the oven at the start of baking. NOTE: In America, Pyrex is no longer heat-shock safe (although is still good in the UK), so for safety or if in doubt, use a metal dish/old cake tin.
So… Place the baking steel/stone/tray AND the Pyrex/heatproof baking dish in the oven BEFORE turning it on. Then set the oven to 250 C/482 F and turn it on around 15 minutes into the proofing time. This ensures ample time (at least 30 minutes) for the oven, the baking steel/tray and the dish to be thoroughly hot.
Transferring and baking Ciabatta Rolls – step by step
- Bake gluten free Ciabatta Rolls (preferably) using a conventional (no fan) oven setting combined with steam at the start of baking. This gives perfect humidity for oven-spring and openness of crumb. NOTE: If you have a fan-only oven, you can still make incredible rolls by the same method. The crust may just be a little less crisp and chewy. Set the oven at 10 to 15 degrees cooler.
- Transfer the unbaked rolls to the hot steel tray ON the baking paper. For safety and to ensure they stay in place on the paper, use either a metal pizza peel or cake lifter to support the transfer.
- Boil a kettle ready to add steam at the start of baking. Pour a small amount (around 50 ml) into the pre-heated oven-proof dish as soon as the rolls have been transferred. Take care as it may sizzle and spit.
- Although pre-heated to 250 C (for an initial blast of high heat), the oven is turned down to 220 C (425 F) as soon as the Ciabatta Rolls are in.
- Also, while humidity is important for oven spring, the oven is ‘de-steamed’ after 10 minutes baking time. Remove the water dish from the oven and at the same time, allow residual steam to escape through the oven door. A dryer oven for the remaining bake helps the internal crumb set and the rolls gain their Ciabatta-characteristic, chewy crust.
- The rolls are done when golden and their internal temperature reaches around 99 C (210 F). A digital probe thermometer is helpful to check.
- Allow gluten free Ciabatta Rolls to cool completely. This allows the crumb to set fully.
How long do Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls last?
Like Italian (wheat) Ciabatta, these gluten free rolls are best eaten the day they are baked. However, they should still be reasonably soft for 2 to 3 days. They can also be reheated and are incredible toasted if they have gone a little stale!
Store them in an airtight container or sealed bag AT ROOM TEMPERATURE.
To reheat…
Wrap the rolls in open-topped foil and reheat in the oven (180 C/340 F) for 8 to 10 minutes… Or in the air fryer (180 C for 4 to 5 mins).
How to eat Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls
Ciabatta Rolls are divine made into filled rolls or simply slathered in butter (try homemade butter) and scoffed. However, my favourite ways to eat them are:
- Dipped or drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar (alongside a large dish of olives).
- Served with cheese and chutney. (Try my Green bean and Caramelised Onion Chutney or my Brown-Sugared Pear & Ginger Preserve… They’re both INCREDIBLE).
- Sharing the plate with large scoops of Homemade Houmous, Caramelised Onion & Turmeric Hummus, Baba Ganoush (Smoky Aubergine Dip) or Authentic Guacamole.
- With a large bowl of Italian Green Beans and Tomatoes.
- Accompanying a dish of Baked Feta with Tomato and Red Pepper.
- Dipped in Roasted Vegetable Soup.
- Alongside a summery Watermelon, Cucumber & Feta Salad.
Ready to make Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls?
Thank you for reading. Hopefully, I’ve answered any questions you might have. The recipe for Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls is at the bottom of this post (just scroll a little further).
If you need anything else, get in touch and I’ll try my best to help. You can leave a comment at the bottom of the post, message me on social media (Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest) or send me an email at kate@glutenfreealchemist.com
We also have over 40 other bread recipes at Gluten Free Alchemist. And believe that gluten free bread should be at least as good as ‘normal’ bread… No cardboard allowed! We even have a larger Gluten Free Ciabatta Bread Recipe with big holes and perfect texture. You can browse all the recipes via the dedicated Gluten Free Bread Index.
For everything else, head over to the main Gluten Free Recipe Index. It has all the inspiration you need to cook and bake gluten free, whatever your confidence level.
All shared with my love
Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls
Key equipment
- Baking Steel/Stone/tray approx 10 x 15 inches
- electric hand or stand mixer with dough hook
- oven-proof bowl
- cake lifter/pizza peel
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 90 g millet flour or fine brown rice flour or buckwheat flour
- 70 g oat flour or sorghum flour/buckwheat flour (darker and more earthy)
- 90 g tapioca starch
- 10 g potato starch
- 16 g rough-ground psyllium husk (while better to use part-ground husk, if you only have powder, use just 14g)
- 5 g fine sea salt
- big pinch bicarbonate of soda
- 5 g instant yeast eg Allinson’s Easy Bake yeast
Wet Ingredients
- 12 g honey or maple syrup (or caster sugar)
- 25 g olive oil
- 6 g cider vinegar
- 310 g hand-warm water 39 to 40 C /102 to 104 F
Instructions
Making and Shaping the Dough
- Weigh and mix together the flours, psyllium husk, salt, bicarbonate of soda and yeast and set aside. TIP: Weigh into a large airtight container and shake vigorously. (If weighing the dry ingredients ahead of time, ensure the salt and yeast are kept separate from each other, then mix everything together just before adding to the wet ingredients).
- In a large bowl, weigh the honey, olive oil, cider vinegar and HAND WARM water, and whisk briefly to combine.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat together with an electric mixer (hand or stand) fitted with a dough hook until the mixture is even and has become a runny batter (looks like runny porridge). Scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure all ingredients are fully incorporated and then mix through again.
- Leave the batter to hydrate for a FULL 10 minutes, then beat again for a few minutes with the mixer and dough hook. You should now have a thick, but sticky dough. Do NOT add more flour.
- While the dough is hydrating, cut a large sheet of baking paper to the size of the baking steel/tray being used to bake the rolls. This is important as the dough rolls are transferred (on the baking paper) directly to the tray AFTER it is preheated to high temperature. It may help to then cut the paper in half as sliding a few rolls into the oven is easier (and safer) than the whole batch!
- Lightly oil (olive oil) a separate sheet of baking paper and transfer the sticky hydrated dough onto the oiled surface.
- Use olive-oiled hands (or better still, wear oiled food-safe vinyl gloves), to knead the dough lightly until it is a smooth and pliable ball.
- Next, liberally flour the work surface and transfer the dough ball across, lightly flouring the top, before gently shaping it into a rough rectangle (with un-gloved hands).
- Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1½ cm thick and approx. 18 cm x 28 cm (7 x 11 inches) in size.
- Use a dough scraper/cutter (or large sharp knife) to cut the dough into 8 roughly-equal 'square' shapes (or 6 slightly larger rolls). It may help to mark them first with a slight indentation to check size equality.
- Flip the rolls over with the help of the dough scraper/cutter or a spatula, so the floury underside is on top (or sprinkle with a little extra flour without flipping) and transfer to the sheet(s) of baking paper (previously sized to fit the baking steel or large baking tray). Leave a reasonable gap between the dough rolls to allow for expansion.
- Lightly cover with a sheet of clingfilm and set aside to proof for 45 to 60 minutes (until increased in height by half to three-quarters).
Preparing the Oven and Baking
- Place the baking steel/stone (or large steel baking tray) on the mid-oven shelf and an oven-proof dish (oven-proof Pyrex/ceramic/metal) at the bottom (this second dish will be used to add steam (via boiling water) to the oven during baking). NOTE: In America, Pyrex is no longer heat-shock safe (although is still good in the UK), so for safety here, use a metal dish/old cake tin.
- To ensure the oven is fully preheated, turn it on 15 minutes into proof time, at 250 C/482 F (or as high as the oven goes if lower) on the Conventional Heat (NO FAN) setting. NOTE: If you have a fan only oven, you can still make incredible Ciabatta Rolls by the same method. They will just be a little less crisp and chewy on the crust. Set a fan oven at 10 to 15 degrees lower.
- When the rolls are close to proofed point, boil a little water.
- Very carefully transfer the rolls (still on the baking paper and with the help of a metal cake lifter/pizza peel/paddle) onto the HOT baking tray/baking stone.
- Pour around 50 ml boiling water (only 3 to 4 tablespoons in volume) into the bottom dish (be careful, it will sizzle and spit) and immediately close the oven, before reducing the temperature to 220 C.
- Bake at 220 C for 10 minutes. Do not open the oven door.
- After 10 minutes, open the oven, very carefully remove the water dish with any remaining water, and let the excess steam escape by holding the door open for 5 to 10 seconds.
- Close the oven and continue to bake at 220 C for a further 12 to 15 minutes until the rolls are golden, with an internal temperature of 99 to 100 C.
- Remove the rolls from the oven (if using a baking steel/stone, use a pizza paddle or tongs for safety).
- Cool the rolls COMPLETELY on a wire rack before eating.
- Best eaten on the day they are baked. Then store in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
- To reheat: Wrap in open-topped foil and either heat in the oven (180 C/340 F) for 8 to 10 minutes OR in the air fryer (180 C for 4 to 5 mins); OR slice and toast.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2026 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Gluten Free Ciabatta Rolls shared with
- Fiesta Friday #551 with Angie
- Full Plate Thursday #721 with Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
Hi Kate, I was wondering about batch making some ciabatta rolls. When would it best to freeze them? After proofing or bake, cool then freeze ? Have you frozen any yet? Also, would it be best to defrost completely or bake frozen (if freezing before baking !) cheers
Hi Cindy
When I have frozen them, I have done it after baking and as soon as they are cool (wrapped well). I haven’t tried freezing the dough. I guess it’s possible, although I would probably do it pre-proof… That way they can defrost and proof without risk of over-proof.
I hope that makes sense. Let me know of you try the frozen route xx
Hi Kate, just proofing my first batch – really looking forward to trying a roll with some homemade mushroom soup – might sound a daft question, but when about to roll out dough, which flour did you sprinkle onto worktop? I used buckwheat ? Cheers Cindy
Hi Cindy
Huge apologies for the delay in reply… I’ve been away.
I hope you enjoyed the rolls! They sound the perfect accompaniment to homemade mushroom soup.
Probably a bit late now… But I usually use either buckwheat or brown rice flour and occasionally maize flour to shape the dough.
Best wishes
Kate
Hi would I be able to use a sourdough starter in place of yeast?
Hi Mirella
It’s not something I’ve tried and I’m not a sourdough expert… But I don’t see why not. The best way to find out is to give it a go… Maybe with a smaller half batch recipe (so as not to waste too many ingredients if it fails… although most fails are still usually toastable). Let me know if you go ahead!
Many thanks
Kate
Delicious! Crunchy/soft. Hit all the taste buds..Thank you so much!
Thank you so much Kimberlee. I’m so pleased you loved it xx
Absolutely Fabulous Recipe! Thank you
Thank you so much Sarah x