Hot, crusty, brown and serve rolls are ready in 10 minutes with make ahead ciabatta buns. Easy, no-knead recipe doubles as large sandwich rolls that are springy, light and chewy.
Pour water into a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast over the top. Let yeast sit for 5 minutes and whisk to dissolve.
Add flour and salt to yeast water. Mix with a heavy wooden spoon until the dough is uniform. The dough will be very sticky and won't hold its shape.
Lightly grease a rising container that allows for triple expansion. Cover tightly with a lid. A transparent square rising bucket is perfect.
Brief rest at room temperature
Let dough rest covered at room temperature for 30 minutes. Watch to ensure it doesn't sit longer than it takes for the dough to rise 25 percent. You just want a little jump start for the yeast.
Rise in refrigerator 12 hours
Place dough with its covered container in the refrigerator for 12 hours or until the dough has tripled in height and shows obvious air pockets.
Divide Rolls
Generously flour a smooth work surface. Tip the risen dough out of the container with floured hands or a spatula. Let it fall lightly, and keep as many air bubbles in the dough as possible while shaping.
Transfer dough from the rising container to a counter dusted liberally with flour. Foldthe longest side of the dough over itself, east to west. Fold again from the opposite direction, south to north. Dust with flour, flip and gently coax into a rectangle 5 by 10 inches.
Small buns for brown and serve - Divide the dough in half crosswise. Divide the two sections in half crosswise again. Divide the four sections in half lengthwise. Finish by cutting each section into three equal pieces to make 12 brown and serve rolls.
Large rolls for sandwiches - Divide the dough in half crosswise. Divide the two sections in half crosswise again. Finish by dividing the dough lengthwise to end with 8 large ciabatta buns.
Preheat Oven
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and center baking rack.
Rise 15-20 minutes
Line a 13 x 18-inch cookie sheet that has one-inch high sides with parchment paper. Arrange rolls on the cookie sheet and dust tops liberally with flour. Cover with an identical-sized cookie sheet to make a lid. Let rise at room temperature for 15 - 20 minutes until puffy, and the sides of a few rolls are almost touching.
Prebake brown and serve rolls
Place rolls in preheated oven.
Bake rolls for 15 minutes or until firm with just a few golden spots. the dough should not be raw. At the same time, don't let it form a hard crust.
Bake ciabatta sandwich buns
Bake rolls for 20 minutes or until light golden with a thin crust. You can skip the second brown and serve step. Don't overbake rolls as they won't stay fresh for sandwiches as long.
Freeze brown and serve rolls or large ciabatta sandwich rolls
Wrap the buns you will use later for heat and serve rolls as soon as they cool to room temperature. I like to use a double layer of compostable cling wrap.
Freeze right away and store frozen ciabatta buns for up to two months.
Bake brown and serve rolls from freezer
You can bake your brown and serve rolls in either a toaster oven or a conventional oven. Whichever you choose, preheat the oven to 450 degrees before baking the bread.
Unwrap frozen bread and place it directly on the middle rack of the toaster oven or conventional oven. Bake for 10 minutes or until fully golden and crusty.
Reheat large ciabatta buns
Like smaller brown and serve ciabatta buns, they can be heated straight from the freezer without thawing. Place one at a time in a plastic bag and heat in a microwave for 45-60 seconds. They'll come out soft, chewy, and easy to slice for sandwiches.
Serve
Brown and serve rolls - Serve brown dinner rolls wrapped in a tea towel inside a basket or serving bowl. Hot rolls will stay warm this way for up to 30 minutes.
Large ciabatta buns - Cool freshly baked sandwich rolls to room temperature and store them in an air-tight bag. When you're ready to eat them, slice them in half with a large serrated knife. They are best eaten in one to two days.
Notes
Recipe TipsMeasure flour and water carefully, ideally with a scale. The dough should be very moist.Rise dough in a square container. That makes it easier to shape and cut squares of dough for brown and serve rolls, minimizes handling, and keeps air pockets intact.Cover the rising bucket securely and rise the dough at room temperature for about 30 minutes. It should rise 25%, not more. Then refrigerate for 12 hours.Dust your work surface generously with flour and make sure the bottoms of the buns are well-floured before transferring to a baking sheet.Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and arrange buns with space between them.Cover buns while they rise with a second fitted cookie sheet, turned upside down. If you don't have a matching cookie sheet for a lid while rising dough, dust rolls with extra flour and cover with a large, thin, tight-weave tea towel or cloth. Preheat your oven or toaster oven before baking rolls, whether it's the first bake or brown and serve step.Brown and serve rolls from the freezer can be baked without thawing. Place them directly on the center rack of a preheated toaster or conventional oven and bake them for 10 minutes or until golden and crisp on the outside.Large ciabatta buns - Freeze well just like brown and serve buns. They can also be heated straight from the freezer without thawing. Place one at a time in a plastic bag and heat in a microwave for 45-60 seconds. They'll come out soft, chewy, and easy to slice for sandwiches.Note - Calories are for the larger ciabatta sandwich buns.