Recipe · Indirect · Advanced
Olive Oil Ciabatta on the Kamado
A very wet poolish dough with a wild, open crumb and a thin, crackly crust. Baked on a cordierite stone with a burst of steam, this ciabatta comes out of the kamado like it left a hearth oven.
Quick answer
Make a poolish the night before, mix an 80% hydration dough with olive oil and ferment it with stretch-and-folds. Shape rustic ciabattas without degassing and bake them on a stone at 245°C with steam for 22 to 25 minutes, until the crust is golden and the crumb full of holes.
One big step at a time, screen kept on and built-in timers.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Servings
- 8 servings
- Temperature
- 245 °C
What time do you want to eat?
Pick a time and we'll tell you when to start.
12:10
Start the prep
12:55
Light the kamado
13:25
Onto the kamado
14:00
Serve
Estimate: it includes lighting and settling the kamado plus a margin for large cuts. If the recipe asks you to marinate or salt ahead, add that time.
Fire setupStone or steel
- Dome
- 245 °C
- Deflector
- Yes
- Fuel
- Holm oak lump charcoal
- Setup
- ConvEGGtor, 38×30 cm cordierite stone, peel and steam tray
Temperature curve
1:01 h from lighting
Kamado dome
| # | From | Phase | Dome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0:00 | Light the charcoalConvEGGtor and stone in from the start, stone 30-40 min | 20 → 245 °C |
| 2 | 0:30 | Put the food inIce into the hot tray and close at once | 245 → 225 °C |
| 3 | 0:32 | Bake22-25 min; vent open for the last 5 | 225 → 245 °C |
| 4 | 0:56 | RestCool on a rack before cutting | 245 → 120 °C |
| 5 | 1:01 | Serve | off |
0:00 is the moment you light the charcoal. Internal temperatures are the ones the recipe gives; without a probe, go by the times. Turn these times into clock times with the planner
For this recipe
Ingredients
- strong bread flour (W ≥ 300)500 g
- water at 20°C400 ml
- active dry yeast2 g
- extra virgin olive oil30 ml
- fine sea salt11 g
- fine durum semolina (for dusting)40 g
- diastatic malt or honey (optional)5 g
- ice (for the steam)250 g
Allergens
- Gluten
Diastatic malt is usually barley-based (gluten); honey is the recipe's alternative.
Based on the recipe's ingredients. Always check the label of every product you buy.
The gear for this recipe
Big Green Egg LargeThe Big Green Egg Large is a hearth oven in disguise: its thick ceramic holds the 245°C ciabatta wants and, dome closed, traps the steam that lifts the crumb. The Large has room for two or three loaves at once and keeps its temperature while you load and unload the bread, without the heat drops of a home oven.
Carboext 100% Holm Oak Lump Charcoal, 15 kg Sack
Onlyfire cordierite pizza stone 38 × 30 cmThe 38 × 30 cm cordierite stone is the hearth of this recipe: it stores heat and gives it back by contact, providing the initial spring and the crisp base that set a hearth ciabatta apart. Its rectangular shape fits two strips side by side and shrugs off the thermal shock of the steam ice. Preheat it 30-40 min on the ConvEGGtor before baking.
Ooni Bamboo Pizza Peel 35 cm (14")Loading an 80% hydration dough onto a 245°C stone is the tricky part, and the 35 cm bamboo peel solves it: wood barely sticks to the wet dough, so the ciabatta slides off clean without losing shape or bubbles. Dust it with semolina, lay the strip on top and launch it with a sharp flick of the wrist.
Method
- 01
The poolish (the night before)
Stir together 150 g flour, 150 ml water and half the yeast. Cover and leave 12-16 h at room temperature, until the poolish is bubbly, domed and smells distinctly tangy.
- 02
Final mix
Dissolve the rest of the yeast in the remaining water and mix it into the poolish and flour until no dry lumps remain. Rest 30 min (autolyse). Add the salt and olive oil and work the dough with a wet hand or scraper until smooth. It will be very sticky — that is exactly right.
- 03
Bulk fermentation with folds
Cover and ferment 2.5-3 h at room temperature. Every 30 minutes, with a wet hand, give it a set of folds: stretch one side up and over the centre, rotating the bowl four times. The dough will go from soupy to puffy, glossy and full of bubbles.
- 04
Rustic shaping
Tip the dough onto a counter heavily dusted with semolina, without degassing it. Dust the top, stretch it into a rectangle and cut it into two or three strips with the scraper. Flip each strip over (top to bottom) and proof 45 min on a floured cloth.
- 05
Fire up and stabilise the kamado
Set up the ConvEGGtor with the cordierite stone on top and bring the kamado to 245°C, dome closed. Let the stone soak up heat for 30-40 min. Place an empty metal tray at the base, near the coals, to make the steam.
- 06
Bake with steam
Slide the ciabattas onto the stone with a floured peel. Toss the ice into the hot tray and close the dome at once to trap the steam. Bake 22-25 min; open the vents for the last 5 min to dry and colour the crust. Cool on a rack before cutting.
About this recipe
Ciabatta —chapata in Spain— was invented in the 1980s as an artisan answer to the industrial sandwich loaf. Its signature is an open, hole-riddled crumb wrapped in a thin crust that shatters when you tear it.
Hydration near 80% is what opens the crumb: water builds the elastic gluten and the internal steam that inflates the holes. The trade-off is a sticky dough you handle with wet hands, folds and patience, never by adding more flour.
With the ConvEGGtor and a screaming-hot cordierite stone, the kamado behaves like a bread oven: a hearth that conducts heat by contact and a closed dome that traps humidity. A shot of steam in the first minutes delays the crust and lets the loaf spring.
The poolish —a loose overnight preferment— brings the faintly lactic, tangy flavour and the extra strength a straight dough cannot match. Extra virgin olive oil softens the crumb and keeps it fresh longer.
In 30 seconds
Poolish the night before, an 80% dough with EVOO, fermentation with folds, rustic shaping without degassing and a bake on stone at 245°C with steam. The result: a thin crust and a wild crumb, ready to dip in oil or build into a sandwich.
This is an advanced dough: if high hydration is new to you, drop the water by 5% and build it back up over your next bakes until the handling clicks.
Will it fit your kamado?
Small
33-40 cm · Joe Jr, MiniMax
Tight
The 38×30 cm stone won't fit; with a smaller one, probably one ciabatta per batch.
Medium
46-51 cm · Classic, Large
Fits
The 38×30 cm stone probably fits (tight on 46 cm); 2-3 ciabattas, perhaps in one batch.
Large
56-61 cm · Big Joe, XL
Fits
The stone and steam tray fit comfortably.
What to serve with it
Sides
- Escalivada of peppers and aubergine
- Grilled provolone
- Extra virgin olive oil for dipping
- Wine
- Young red from La Mancha or a white Verdejo from Rueda
- Beer
- Pale lager or a mild pale ale
- Alcohol-free
- Rosemary lemonade
Leftovers and storage
- In the fridge
- 1-2 days at room temperature, wrapped in a cloth or paper bag; never in the fridge.
- Freezing
- Freeze 2-3 months whole or split; thaw in the fridge or bake straight from frozen.
- Reheating
- 5-8 minutes on the kamado or in the oven at 200 °C; sprinkle with water if dry.
- Using them up
- Pressed sandwiches, tomato bruschetta or a tomato and basil panzanella.
Cool and refrigerate within 2 hours. When in doubt, throw it out.
Leftover embers
You still have embers: what to do with the leftover heat
For 25 min at 245 °C in a classic kamado you load about 800 g of charcoal and burn 600 g: when you serve, about 250 g of live embers remain. Before you shut the vents, that is still enough for:
Without touching the vents
245 °Cgrilled vegetables
25 minof embers
- Garlic Butter Naan on the Kamado18 min · 260 °C
- Charred Wild Green Asparagus on the Kamado8 min · 240 °C
- Grilled Watermelon with Feta, Mint and Balsamic Reduction10 min · 250 °C
No recipe needed
- Strips of courgette and aubergine, char-marked (5 min)
- Pita or naan from shop dough, on the grate (3 min each)
- Halved tomatoes, cut side down, for a sauce (10 min)
Closing the vents halfway and waiting for it to drop
140-200 °Cdessert while you eat
35 minof embers
- Smoked Loaded Nachos on the Kamado12 min · 185 °C
- Brioche Burger Buns on the Kamado18 min · 190 °C
- Garlic-stuffed portobello mushrooms grilled in the kamado22 min · 190 °C
No recipe needed
- Yesterday's bread with oil and garlic, on the grate (10 min)
- Corn cobs in their husks (30 min)
Before opening the lid, crack it open for a few seconds first; if you raise the heat, stir the ash so the coals can breathe. And if you are not going to use them: once the food is out, close the bottom and top vents. The charcoal that does not burn (about 250 g) can be used next time. Different size of kamado? Work out your load for 1 h of fire, lighting included.
Editor's tips
- Weigh everything in grams: at 80% hydration a 20 ml water error completely changes the handling. Always work with wet hands and scraper, never extra flour, or you will tighten the crumb.
- For a proper steam burst, preheat an iron tray or a handful of lava rocks below the grate and tip the ice on just as you load the bread. Close the dome fast: steam that escapes will not lift the crumb.
- Do not degas while shaping: every bubble you keep is a hole in the final crumb. Handle the dough as little as possible, use plenty of semolina so it will not stick, and let gravity stretch the strips.
Gear for this recipe
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Big Green Egg Large
The Big Green Egg Large is a hearth oven in disguise: its thick ceramic holds the 245°C ciabatta wants and, dome closed, traps the steam that lifts the crumb. The Large has room for two or three loaves at once and keeps its temperature while you load and unload the bread, without the heat drops of a home oven.
€2,099
Carboext 100% Holm Oak Lump Charcoal, 15 kg Sack
€38
Onlyfire cordierite pizza stone 38 × 30 cm
The 38 × 30 cm cordierite stone is the hearth of this recipe: it stores heat and gives it back by contact, providing the initial spring and the crisp base that set a hearth ciabatta apart. Its rectangular shape fits two strips side by side and shrugs off the thermal shock of the steam ice. Preheat it 30-40 min on the ConvEGGtor before baking.
€35
Ooni Bamboo Pizza Peel 35 cm (14")
Loading an 80% hydration dough onto a 245°C stone is the tricky part, and the 35 cm bamboo peel solves it: wood barely sticks to the wet dough, so the ciabatta slides off clean without losing shape or bubbles. Dust it with semolina, lay the strip on top and launch it with a sharp flick of the wrist.
€20
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FAQ
Can I use all-purpose flour?
Better a strong bread flour (W ≥ 300, around 12-13% protein). A weak flour cannot hold 80% hydration or the long ferment, and the crumb comes out tight and gummy.
Why is my crumb so closed?
Almost always too little hydration, too much flour at shaping, or degassing the dough. Raise the water gradually, dust with just enough semolina and shape gently, without pressing it down.
How do I get steam in a kamado?
Place an empty metal tray at the base while it preheats and, as you load the bread, throw in a handful of ice or a good splash of boiling water. Shut the dome at once and keep it closed for the first 10 minutes.
Can I skip the poolish?
Yes, with a straight dough, but you lose flavour and some of the open crumb. In a hurry, use 4 g yeast, drop the poolish and stretch the bulk ferment to 3-4 h with its folds.
How do I know it is done?
The crust should be deeply golden and sound hollow when you knock the base with your knuckles. With a probe thermometer, the internal temperature sits around 96-98°C.
What do I do with the embers left after making Olive Oil Ciabatta on the Kamado?
After 25 min at 245 °C in a classic kamado about 250 g of live embers remain: 25 min more at 245 °C without touching the vents or 35 min at 140-200 °C closing the vents. If you are not going to use them, close both vents and keep the charcoal for next time.
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Big Green Egg Large
The Big Green Egg Large is a hearth oven in disguise: its thick ceramic holds the 245°C ciabatta wants and, dome closed, traps the steam that lifts the crumb. The Large has room for two or three loaves at once and keeps its temperature while you load and unload the bread, without the heat drops of a home oven.
- Editorial guide
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- Glossary term
Heat deflector
Ceramic plate placed between the coals and the grate to turn direct fire into indirect cooking.
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