Step 1

Add the yeast and the salt to the water in a large bowl (5 quart) or container with a resealable lid. Add the flour all at once. Mix with a wooden spoon until the mixture is uniform. (You can also mix it in a heavy duty stand mixer.) If it becomes to hard to mix, you can mix it with wet hands until it all comes together. It is finished when there are no dry patches and everything is uniform – kneading is not necessary.

Step 2

Cover the container with a non-airtight lid. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature until it flattens on top or starts to collapse, about 2 hours (depending on the temperature and water temperature.)

Step 3

You can use the dough at this point, or refrigerate the dough if not using right away.

Step 4

Sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour. Pull up on the dough, and using a serrated knife, cut off a 1-pound piece of dough (the size of a grapefruit). Hold the dough in your hands and add a little more flour if needed so that it doesn’t stick to your hands. Stretch the dough around to the bottom on all sides, rotating the dough as you do. (The bottom of the ball will look like a bunch of bunched ends.) Do this until the ball is smooth.

Step 5

Place the ball of dough on a pizza peel sprinkled with cornmeal or lined with parchment paper. Allow the dough to rest for 40 minutes.

Step 6

30 minutes before the resting time is over, preheat a baking stone in the oven set to 450ºF.

Step 7

Dust the top of the dough with flour, then slash the top with a serrated knife, going about 1/4” deep. (More instructions on different designs in the book.) Place an empty broiling pan on a rack below the baking stone.

Step 8

Slide the dough off of the pizza peel onto the baking stone. Quickly pour about 1 cup of water into the broiling pan and close the oven door quickly to trap the steam.

Step 9

Bake the loaf for about 30 minutes, until the crust is browned. Allow the loaf to cool completely, preferably on a wire rack, for best flavor and texture.

Step 10

Store the remaining dough in the refrigerator for up to 14 days. The flavor and texture will improve over time.