13 Creative Uses For Ciabatta Bread

Ciabatta is a rustic Italian white bread known for its soft, airy texture and chewy crust. Each loaf has a broad, flat shape and it also comes in large square rolls. Ciabatta bread is perfect for making sandwiches, but the fun doesn't have to stop there. It is also a fantastic bread for several creative uses like salads, casseroles, desserts, and more.

On my quest to discover some of the best, albeit lesser-known ways to use ciabatta bread, I reached out to a couple of experts in the field, Kelli Ferrell and Meghan Birnbaum. Kelli Ferrell is a cookbook author, celebrity chef, TV personality, restauranteur, and the owner of Nana's Chicken & Waffles in Georgia. Meghan Birnbaum is a recipe developer and the woman behind Meghan It Up, a food blog where she transforms her family's traditional Sicilian recipes into simple, accessible dishes for everyday cooks. The two of them have more than enough food experience to know what they're talking about when it comes to creative recipes and they had quite a few insights to share on how to use ciabatta bread.

So, if you're looking to finish the rest of a loaf of fresh ciabatta bread before it goes stale or simply want some added variety in your cooking, you've come to the right place. Keep reading to learn the 13 creative uses for ciabatta bread Ferrell and Birnbaum shared with me; you'll be glad you did.

Whether you are making dressing or stuffing (one goes in a bird and the other is cooked in a separate pan), ciabatta bread is your friend. It soaks up broth and other flavorings with surprising ease thanks to its inherently airy interior. The crust on the bread also leads to a deliciously crispy finish after baking. Plus, making stuffing is an ideal use for ciabatta bread if you have a decent amount that is about to go stale. Or, if your loaf is still fresh, you can easily dry out the bread in the oven, so there's no need to wait if you're ready to make stuffing straight away.

Kelli Ferrell told me she loves to make stuffing with ciabatta bread. She said it "is perfect for putting a fun spin on a holiday traditional item." Obviously, there are plenty of different add-ins used in a stuffing recipe, and ciabatta takes to all of them like a pro. In addition to the usual suspects, like sausage, diced onions, and herbs, Ferrell likes to add a hearty green like kale, arugula, or watercress to her stuffing. However, ciabatta bread is mild tasting enough that you can feel free to run wild with the flavor-boosting ingredients of your choice. It also already has both soft and chewy elements baked in, so you don't have to focus too much on creating a difference in textures.

Ah, pizza. People around the world love it and depending on who you ask, it may even be the best dish ever created. As a result, you can find countless creative variations on the classic configuration, and guess what? Using ciabatta bread as the crust might just be one of the best. As Meghan Birnbaum said, "It's quick, crispy, and perfect for toppings when you don't want to mess with pizza dough." So, not only does using a loaf of ciabatta bread as the base for pizza save you tons of time (there's no need to make and shape dough), but it also gets deliciously crispy and holds lots of toppings — Yum!

Kelli Ferrell also recommended using ciabatta bread as the base for pizza. She noted that ciabatta bread loaves are wider than French bread, so if you want to serve more people, it is the obvious choice. She also said, "It's more like a pizza loaf," and that just sounds fun. Of course, ciabatta bread is also Italian, so using it to make pizza just makes sense, don't you think?

Sandwiches are one of the most obvious things you can make with ciabatta bread, especially if you have large square-shaped ciabatta rolls. Its soft interior and chewy crust lead to a phenomenal sandwich by any standards, but there's one classic sandwich in particular that really allows ciabatta bread to shine: The Monte Cristo. If you've never had the pleasure of enjoying a Monte Cristo before, with ciabatta or not, you're in for a treat.

According to Kelli Ferrell, Monte Cristo sandwiches are great for anyone who craves a dish that balances both sweet and savory flavor profiles. Since the recipe mixes ham with creamy provolone, powdered sugar, and sometimes honey, you can see what she means. Of course, the whole sandwich is also battered and fried, and everyone loves that, right? Aside from the actual recipe, Ferrell said, "Ciabatta is perfect for the Monte Cristo sandwich because it's sturdy enough to hold up to the dipping and frying process while complementing the flavors of the sandwich." Sounds like a win-win all around. I mean, what else could you ask for other than the ideal texture and flavors?

Traditional sandwiches are great and all, but what if you want to minimize your carb intake? You could always opt for a tortilla or use crispy lettuce leaves, but everyone knows if you're craving bread, those alternatives don't really measure up texture-wise. Don't worry though, ciabatta bread is ready to step in and help. If you want a similar mouthfeel to a regular sandwich but way less carbs, all you have to do is hollow out the soft center of a ciabatta loaf. That way, you can use the chewy crust to bookend your sandwich without any of the extra filling.

Hollowed-out ciabatta loaves are also great for much more than low-carb sandwiches. Kelli Ferrell likes to fill hollowed-out ciabatta loaves with savory ingredients, like spinach and artichoke dip for a low-carb treat. Meghan Birnbaum also recommends scooping out the center of the ciabatta to make stuffed ciabatta bread. In particular, she likes the vessel stuffed with eggs, also known as eggs in a basket or toad in a hole. All it requires is cracking a couple of eggs into the hollowed-out loaf and baking. Some seasonings don't hurt either. Either way, she said, "It's a unique breakfast or brunch option that's hearty and delicious."

Croutons are another creation you'd be smart to make with ciabatta bread. As Meghan Birnbaum told me, when you use ciabatta, your croutons turn out "extra crunchy and full of flavor because of the bread's texture." Both the airy center and the chewy crust on the ciabatta have the ability to crisp up deliciously, and you get a touch of varied texture as well.

Once your ciabatta croutons are baked and ready, they are tasty on several different salads, including the most iconic salad to feature croutons: the Caesar salad. There are lots of things you can do to turn your Caesar salads into a restaurant-worthy dish, and it just so happens that one of them is topping them with homemade croutons. 

Ciabatta is so versatile that you don't even have to go through the full process of making croutons if you don't want to. "You can easily place cubed ciabatta pieces on top of any salad for a tasty crouton alternative," Kelli Ferrell said. She went on to tell me that this simple variation "is perfect with an Italian salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, pepperoncini, cheese, radicchio, and vinaigrette." If you want, you can still season the bread too.

Crostini, aka sliced and toasted baguette, is the go-to bread choice for bruschetta. It's small and it gets extra crispy, making it an excellent base for the dish. However, ciabatta is even better. In fact, some might say it is the underrated crusty bread you need for perfect bruschetta. One person who recommends it is Kelli Ferrel because she likes how simple it is to create.

So, what makes ciabatta so great for bruschetta? For starters, it holds more toppings than a tiny crostini, allowing you to get more of the good stuff in every bite. Secondly, even though it is toasted, the airy center does a fantastic job soaking up lots of flavor. In a traditional bruschetta recipe, this would be from diced tomatoes and olive oil. Ciabatta bread also gets nice and crunchy when toasted long enough, so even though it absorbs quite a bit of moisture, it still holds up to the weight of your preferred add-ons.

Most people don't think about ciabatta bread when they are picturing French toast, but that doesn't mean it isn't a great option. Kelli Ferrell told me day-old ciabatta slices make delicious French toast. She likes to dip them in batter and cook them in a skillet (like most of us do), but you can also use the air fryer or make hassle-free French toast in the oven. Either way, day-old ciabatta makes a great base.

As it turns out, dry bread is your friend when making French toast, at least if you want super tasty results. It may seem a bit counterintuitive since we tend to like our foods as fresh as possible, but it's true. Why? Well, you want the bread to soak up lots of batter but still remain sturdy enough that it doesn't tear. Drier bread, particularly ciabatta, is perfectly suited for the job. It soaks up enough batter to stay creamy, but also gets nice and crispy on the exterior. As a result, you get the best of both worlds.

Casseroles are essentially pies without a crust. If you want to bridge the gap between the two dishes, ciabatta bread makes a super tasty base. It can easily be used in all different kinds of sweet and savory recipes, and it adds an extra layer of texture that won't go unnoticed.

Kelli Ferrell told me creating a casserole is one of her favorite ways to use ciabatta bread. She likes making an Italian-style version with marinara, mozzarella, meatballs or sausage (sometimes both), and parmesan cheese piled on top of ciabatta. After baking, it makes a tasty entree.

Meghan Birnbaum also recommends using ciabatta bread as a base for casseroles. She likes to cube it and create a baked French toast casserole, which we already know is a delicious use for it. She noted, "It's fluffy, slightly crispy on top, and absorbs all the custard for a great texture."

If you don't get a chance to use up all of your ciabatta bread before it goes stale, don't worry. While your first instinct may be to simply toss it in the trash, you actually have one final option: Turn it into homemade bread crumbs — which is exactly what Kelli Ferrell suggests you do.

Homemade bread crumbs are super easy to make and they are surprisingly versatile too. Ferrell likes using bread crumbs to coat chicken or vegetables and of course, they are delicious sprinkled over the top of mac and cheese and mixed into meatballs as well. You can also swap croutons for bread crumbs on various salads if you want a touch of crunch but don't want bread to overpower the greens. Or, for something totally unexpected, you can use your ciabatta bread crumbs as an ice cream topping. Regardless of how you intend to make the most of your ciabatta bread crumbs, there's no denying it revitalizes a stale loaf, giving you one last chance to enjoy it.

While somewhat surprising, ciabatta bread is actually a great building block for delicious desserts. It may sound strange at first, but stick with me. Meghan Birnbaum recommends using thinly sliced pieces of ciabatta as the base for tiramisu. It's definitely a dessert, and bread doesn't normally fit into sweet recipes, but she told me ciabatta "absorbs coffee and mascarpone beautifully." And thanks to its light flavor overall, it won't detract from the dessert-like qualities of the dish. If you opt for a variation on the classic tiramisu recipe and infuse it with sweet ingredients like raspberries and cream, it only gets better.

Birnbaum also likes using ciabatta bread to make savory bread pudding. Again, she noted that it does an excellent job soaking up all of the flavors, so you wind up with a rich and comforting dish in the end. Kelli Ferrell also likes making bread pudding with ciabatta bread. "Ciabatta is already dry and crispy, which is perfect for bread pudding, especially if you let it sit for a day or two," she said. She went on to say that day-old ciabatta gives bread pudding the ideal firm texture we all want, so why wouldn't you try it in this dish?

Tiny slices of toasted ciabatta bread are perfect for dipping. They are large enough to hold plenty of tasty dip and when toasted super well, they are sturdy enough too. Kelli Ferrell told me thinly sliced and baked ciabatta bread is just what you need to scoop up salsa and hummus. She also likes to add olive oil and a bit of salt to give the ciabatta an even crispier texture and more flavor, similar to chips. In addition to basic dips, as Ferrell mentioned, ciabatta chips are great for heartier dips like warm elote corn dip, artichoke dip, and more.

Toasted ciabatta chips also make a great addition to antipasti platters and charcuterie boards. If you wind up with any leftover chips, you can easily turn them into bruschetta as well. However, they are tasty enough that extra ciabatta chips are unlikely. Plus, you can enjoy them warm or cold — they're delicious either way.

Panzanella salad is a classic Italian dish. In its most basic format it consists of diced tomatoes, ciabatta bread, olive oil, and red wine vinegar, but you can also add all kinds of delicious ingredients like fresh mozzarella, green beans, basil, olives, cucumbers, and more to spice things up. Either way, one of the main components of panzanella salad is bread, and ciabatta is a perfect choice if you want to achieve an authentic flavor and the most delicious texture.

Meghan Birnbaum told me panzanella salad is her personal favorite. She noted stale ciabatta is the ideal bread because it "soaks up dressings and juices without getting mushy, making the salad hearty and delicious." Considering most salads aren't that hearty, that's saying something. So, panzanella is perfect if you want a super filling salad as a meal. It's also great as an appetizer. If you make it when tomatoes are in peak season, it's even better because you get tons of fresh, bright flavor and of course, the ciabatta soaks up every last drop of vine-ripened tomato goodness. Yum!

Last but not least on our list of creative uses for ciabatta is garlic bread, and let me tell you, ciabatta makes a mean one. Not only is it the obvious choice for a classic garlic bread recipe, but you can also turn it into a pull-apart style loaf with just a touch of extra prep work. Meghan Birnbaum likes it this way. She said all you have to do is "slice the bread in a grid pattern, stuff it with garlic butter and cheese, and bake." So, really, the only extra step is slicing the grid pattern.

The main reason ciabatta bread is perfect for pull-apart garlic bread is because of its texture. The light, airy center soaks up tons of drool-worthy butter and garlic while simultaneously crisping to perfection. The chewy crust also gets super crunchy while ensuring none of the tasty toppings seep out. I mean, it doesn't get any better than that. Well, maybe some cheese would make it even tastier, but you get the point. All you need is a knife, a loaf of ciabatta bread, butter, and garlic and you're well on your way to making melt-in-your-mouth pull-apart garlic bread.