Flabatta combines the textures of fladenbrot and ciabatta, with a chewy, airy inside. This Recipe Using sourdough/or Sourdough discard and simple ingredients, and it is very simple and especially beginner-friendly. Adding sourdough starter enhances the bread with more aroma and depth of flavor.If you choose not to add the sourdough starter, you can replace it with an additional 20g of water (total 210g).

Preparation time less than 30 mins

Cooking time 15-20 min

Serves Serves 2-4

Dietary vegan and vegetarian

Check our video tutorial— Bake this bread with Cumo!

Ingredients (for 4 Flabattas)

Ice water: 190g
olive oil: 10g
Bread flour: 300g
Dry yeast: 2g
Salt: 6g
Sourdough starter/discard: 70g

Instructions

Mix Dough: Combine ice water and flour and knead until the dough until it’s fully mixed. Add the sourdough discard, dissolved yeast, continue mix them well. Then add salt and oil, kneading until the dough pulls away from the bowl.

Stretch and Fold: If the dough is strong on its own, there’s no need to fold it after mixing. If the dough is weak and slack, fold it 2-3 times within the first hour, folding each time the dough gets flatten.

Ferment: Let it rise at room temperature until doubled in size.

Divide and Shape: Lightly flour the surface with flour, cornmeal or semolina, spread the dough out, and cut the dough into 4 squares. Gently press out any air bubbles. Lightly mist the tops with water, sprinkle black or white sesame seeds on top if desired.

Bake: Preheat the oven to 480°F and bake for 18 minutes, creating steam in the oven during the first 5 seconds for extra crispiness.(If your oven can’t produce steam, you can skip this step.)

Final Note: This bread can be made even without a mixer—just mix the dough by hand until it’s smooth. It’s perfect for beginners! Using ice water helps keep the dough from overheating during mixing, preventing premature fermentation that could limit its rise later on. With a room temperature of around 76°F, this bread takes around three hours to complete. Alternatively, you can mix the dough before bed and bake it in next morning; letting the dough with sourdough starter ferment overnight will enhance the flavor complexity.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can!