It's incredibly easy to make, and the recipe is pretty foolproof. You can slice it crosswise for bruschetta, lengthwise for sandwiches, or use it for dipping in olive oil and balsamic.... or pizza sauce. It makes great garlic cheese bread too.
I baked this bread on a baking stone and covered each loaf with the lid and the inverted bottom of this SuperStone /Covered Baker.
The recipe for this bread has been adapted from My Bread: The Revolutionary No-Work, No-Knead Method by Jim Lahey.
I've got a collection of about two dozen books on bread, and I can easily be distracted by new "shiny things" (aka new bread books) on the horizon. Sadly, when I pulled the link for this book from Amazon, I was reminded that I bought this book in 2009.... and had NEVER cracked it open. Oy!!
I have made several versions of no knead bread, but this book from Jim Lahey is the book that Mark Bittman cited in the New York Times when he ignited the no knead trend. Best that I pay my long overdue respect.
For similar Italian style baguettes using a different method, check out these Pain à l’Ancienne Baguettes.
Stirato (Italian Baguettes) Recipe

Yield: 2 loaves
Stirato is a form of ciabatta that is cut into lengths and then stretched just before baking. This is a no knead version, with the first rise lasting up to 18 hours to develop flavor. The flavor definitely lives up to the hype, and the thin crispy crust just sings when you first pull it out of the oven.
ingredients:
- 400 grams (3 cups) bread flour
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp instant yeast
- 300 g (1 1/2 C) cool water
instructions:
How to cook Stirato (Italian Baguettes) Recipe
- In a medium bowl, mix all of the ingredients with a dough whisk, a large spoon, or your wet hand, until everything is moistened, about 30 seconds to a minute.
- Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 12 to 18 hours until totally bubbly and doubled in size.
- Dust your counter with flour and scrape the dough out of the bowl in one piece.
- Gently nudge the dough into the shape of a rectangle and then fold it over itself from each long side as if you were creating an envelope. With your hands, gently roll the dough out into a tube and then cut the dough in half, width-wise.
- Place the dough pieces, seam side down, on a floured sheet pan sized piece of parchment and cover with oiled plastic wrap.
- Place a baking stone on the center rack of your oven and place whatever cover you will be using on top of it (or set up your oven for steam). Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
- When the dough has about doubled (30-45 minutes), pick up each piece and stretch it out to about 13 inches in length.
- Remove the hot cover from the stone, and, using a peel or the back of a baking sheet, place the parchment with the dough onto the stone and place the hot cover/s over the loaves.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 to 20 minutes, until a golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack.
Karen's Kitchen Stories
Looks just delicious! I could probably eat it alone :)
ReplyDeleteOh me too Medeja!
DeleteWow! We didn't know our neighbors, the Italians also had a type of baguette. Stirato looks and sounds fantastic, thank you both for the recipe and the education Karen! Have a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteWow. This bread looks incredibly delicious - especially made into the sandwich. Love the picture of the loaves standing on end - nice shot.
ReplyDeleteThanks Cathy!
DeleteTempted to make these on the weekend. I am so glad I'm not the only one who owns bread books for years without actually BAKING a bread from them ;-) We will get there, one cookbook at a time...
ReplyDeleteI just made this past weekend the pizza dough from Lahey's new book, and was not terribly impressed - in my opinion, to do the no-knead he pushes the hydration level way too much, I prefer a minimal kneading a la Dan Lepard, associated with a dough with a bit more structure. But, I love the way your baguettes turned out, perfect crumb and crust.... I want to try them....
great photos too
He definitely pushes the hydration level! Thanks!!!
DeleteGorgeous! I'll have to give these a try. Lahey's basic no-knead was my next step after Artisan Bread in 5 and it was my weekly go-to until I fell in love with Flour Water Salt Yeast. But your photos of the stirato are calling me back. That crumb looks to die for…
ReplyDeleteThanks Robin. I was just feeling guilty about never baking from Lahey's book!
DeleteAny reason why you didn't bake it in the Sassafras Baker instead of putting it on the stone and covering it with the lid?
ReplyDeleteHi! Because there were two loaves, which I wanted to bake at the same time.
DeleteThanks Karen
DeleteThanks to Siu ling HuiI was looking for this recipe i remembered it to be in your header you changed it and I got confused :), thank God found it I have fallen in love with this and badly want to try it
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for the recipe. I am absolutely thrilled with the results even though I'm a totally bread baking novice. Hevz xx
ReplyDeleteYour Pictures got me, I love those big holes and crisp looking crust. I will have to try then all.
ReplyDeleteErnie
Thanks so much Ernie!
DeleteThey just came out of the oven, they look fantastic !
ReplyDeleteThe twist even made an ear, something I rarely get when I score a dough!
Thank you so so much for sharing this fabulous recipe, and the other one with durum flour which was amazing as well.
I love it!!! A friend of mine made it with 100% durum, which I've never had the nerve to try. So happy you like it!
DeleteKaren I wrote this recipe down from the Artisan Bread group and finally made it ~twice now! Yummy And fool proof!!! Wish I could post pictures here! Delma
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know! It is one of my favorites.
DeleteHow long are the loaves just before the last stretch is performed before baking?
ReplyDeleteAbout 6 to 8 inches.
DeleteThis recipe uses Bread flour, whereas most ciabatta recipes seem to use regular All Purpose flour. (I do have bread flour so that isn't a problem....and find I love it for making chewy focaccia) The loong first step is not to be ignored by the impatient. Your recipe seems to come up with the perfect large many holes, which is what I love....so is it the Bread flour?
ReplyDelete