• Combine flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Mix well to distribute yeast and salt with flour.
• Stir water into flour mixture and mix well until dough is completely saturated. It will be a sticky "shaggy" mix.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a warm place for 1 hour. An oven that is off, but with the electric light or pilot light on works well. If your oven has a bread proofing option, that works exceptionally well.
• After the dough has risen for 1 hour, place it on a well-floured surface and sprinkle with flour. Using a bench scraper or your floured hands, fold dough over on itself a few times until it is no longer sticky. This process takes about 10 folds. Next, shape the dough into a ball. (Watch the video for the proper technique.)
• Place dough ball into a parchment paper-lined bowl and allow dough to rest for 15 minutes.
• While the dough is resting, place the baking vessel that you will be using (dutch oven or heatproof frying pan) into a cold oven on the lowest rack. Turn on oven and preheat the oven to 450°F.
• After 15 minutes, remove the baking vessel from the oven. Use pot-holders or oven mitts and be very careful. The vessel will be VERY hot. Place the vessel on a heatproof surface on your counter.

Instructions for Baking Bread in a Dutch Oven

• If using a DUTCH OVEN, carefully remove the lid using pot holders or oven mitts and set the lid aside on a heatproof surface.
• At this point, if you wish, you can make some slashes on the top of the dough to create a pattern. Alternatively, you can simply allow the dough to crack in its own pattern to create a bread with a very rustic appearance.
• Lift the dough using the parchment paper, and transfer the dough down into the dutch oven along with the parchment paper. Cover the dutch oven, and using pot holders or oven mitts, place the lid back on to the dutch oven and return it to the oven. Close the oven door and allow the bread to bake - covered - at 450°F for 30 minutes.
• After 30 minutes, remove the dutch oven from the oven using pot holders or oven mitts and transfer the dutch oven to a heatproof surface on your counter. Remove the lid using pot holders or oven mitts and place the lid on a heatproof surface.
• Carefully, again using pot holders or oven mitts, remove the bread from the dutch oven by lifting the parchment paper and placing the bread on the counter. Remove the parchment paper and return the bread to the dutch oven, using pot holders or oven mitts, and then return the dutch oven without the lid back to the oven.
• Close the oven door and allow the bread to bake for an additional 5 minutes until golden brown on top.

Instructions for Baking Bread in a Frying Pan/Skillet

• If using a heatproof frying pan/skillet, first dust the bottom of the pan with a bit of flour or cornmeal.
• While the dough is in the bowl, you can make some slashes on the top of the dough to create a pattern. Alternatively, you can simply allow the dough to crack in its own pattern to create a bread with a very rustic appearance.
• Lift the dough out of the bowl with the parchment paper, but when you transfer it to the pan, slip out the parchment paper from underneath the dough. Alternatively, you can flip the dough into the pan (if you have not made any pattern cuts on the top of the dough). Discard the parchment paper. Return the pan, with the dough in it, to the oven.
• Close the oven door and allow the bread to bake uncovered at 400°F for 30 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Finishing Instructions for Either Baking Vessel

• When the bread is golden brown on top, remove the baking vessel from the oven. Remember to use pot holders or oven mitts. Place the vessel on a heatproof surface on your counter. Carefully, transfer bread from the baking vessel to a cooling rack and allow to cool completely before slicing.