Ingredients

Step by step

1. Put 200g of the flour in a large bowl. Add the yeast and 275ml warm water, stirring well until you have a wet, sticky dough. Cover and set aside for 1-1½ hours, or until the ‘sponge’ has risen and has lots of big bubbles on the surface.
2. Add the rest of the flour and salt, stirring until it makes a lumpy dough. Cover and rest for 10 minutes. Scrape the dough onto an oiled worktop.
3. Oil your hands and knead the dough gently a few time, just pushing it back and forth for about 20 seconds. It will be very wet, sticky and a bit lumpy, but never fear! Scoop up the dough and put it in an oiled bowl, cover and rest for 10 minutes. Repeat twice more. Each time you should see the dough becoming smoother and less sticky.
4. Cover and leave to prove for 1- 1½ hours, until the dough has risen by about half.
5. Lightly oil a 900g loaf tin and dust with flour. Turn out the dough onto a floured work surface. Flatten a little (step 3) and pat into a rectangle. Roll up and gently lift into the tin, seam side down. Dust with a little flour, cover and leave to prove for 1-1½ hours until the loaf has risen above the top of the tin.
6. Preheat the oven to 240°C, fan 220°C, gas 9, with a baking sheet on the centre shelf and an empty roasting tin in the base of the oven.
7. With a very sharp knife, make 3 slashes diagonally across the top of the loaf to stop it from splitting as it bakes.
8. Working quickly, pour a mug of cold water into the roasting tin (steam helps the loaf rise, and to develop a good crust) and put the loaf tin onto the hot baking sheet. Bake for about 35 minutes until deep golden brown. Turn out – if you tap the underside of the loaf, it should make a hollow sound. Cool on a rack.
   Tip

   The trick to a great loaf is allowing plenty of time for the yeast to work its magic. This loaf starts as a ‘sponge’ – a very wet dough that kicks off the yeast activation.