4 - 5cupsall-purpose flourmay need more but dough should be sticky
coarse cornmeal for dusting the pan
Instructions
Start preheating the oven to 425F before you even take the ingredients out of the pantry.
Put the 110F water, yeast, and sugar in the bowl of your mixer.
Mix briefly, just until blended.
Set in a warm place for 10 minutes.
After ten minutes stir in the salt and 1 cup of the flour.
Using the dough hook mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
Add the rest of the flour, ½ cup at a time until you have a soft dough.
Knead for about 5 minutes until the dough is no longer sticky and dough is elastic.
Form the dough into 2 or 3 long loaves on a heavy cookie sheet dusted with coarse cornmeal.
Use a sharp knife to score (slice shallow gashes) in the top of the bread.
Allow the loaves to rise for ten minutes in a warm place if there is time. If not - just go straight to the next step.
Fill a 1 cup measure with ice and cold water
Put the loaves into the preheated oven and toss the ice on the oven floor.
Close the door quickly and don't open it until you are ready to take the bread out of the oven, 15 to 20 minutes later.
Cool slightly before cutting.
Video
Notes
Making this bread into 2 loaves instead of 3 makes it more like a thicker Italian loaf. If you want a thinner, crunchier loaf then divide the dough into 3 or 4 parts.Notes
Use fresh ingredients - the best you can afford. When the ingredient list is simple like this one you need good ingredients.
If you consistently have trouble getting the yeast to work right try using bottled spring water - there may be something in your water that's not harmful to you but the yeast doesn't like.
Throwing the water on the floor of a hot oven creates a ton of steam - this gives the bread its classic texture. Be careful though, you don't want steam burns! A cup of ice also works for this.
Kosher salt is used in this recipe.
When you score the top use a very sharp knife and cut it on a 45 degree angle. This helps it to rise properly.
You can add ½ teaspoon extra yeast and let the dough rise in the fridge overnight if you need to.