Italian Bread

Step 1

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, add the water, flour, yeast, salt and butter (or oil).

Step 2

Use the hook attachment or just a wooden spoon or danish whisk to combine the ingredients just until all the flour is hydrated and the dough comes together.

Step 3

Once the dough has all come together, cover it and let it rest for 30-60 minutes.

Step 4

Run your hands under cold water and with a wet hand, grab the dough on one side and stretch it out as far as you can without tearing the dough. Fold it over the rest of the dough, turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you've gone around all four sides.

Step 5

Rest the dough for another 30-60 minutes and repeat with another series of stretch and folds.

Step 6

Cover it and let it rise at room temperature overnight - I usually do about 10 hours (which is 2 hours after you mixed the dough so 12 hours total).

Step 7

The dough should be nice and bubbly in the morning. Scrape the dough away from the edge of the bowl, deflating the dough and then dump it onto a flour surface.

Step 8

Stretch the dough out into a rectangle (don't roll it out, just gently stretch it out) and then fold the top 1/3 of the dough over the center. Repeat with the bottom, folding it on top of the rest of the dough - so it's like a letter going in an envelope.

Step 9

Starting at the short end, roll it into a ball. Press the sides down to hide the creases on the sides and roll the dough ball around (see video) a little so it's a nice tight, round ball.

Step 10

Crumple up a sheet of parchment paper and place it into a large bowl. Place the ball of dough into the bowl and cover it. Let it rise for another 60-90 minutes.

Step 11

Meanwhile, place the dutch oven in the oven and preheat the oven to 425F (232C).

Step 12

Gently press on the dough, it should spring back slowly - if it springs back quickly and still feels tight, let it rise longer. Dust with a little flour and then use a knife or a bread scoring knife to make a large slit and a couple of smaller ones in the dough.

Step 13

Carefully remove the hot dutch oven from the oven, remove the lid and place the bread in the dutch oven with the parchment paper. Be very gentle so you don't deflate the bread.

Step 14

Grab a few ice cubes and slide them underneath the parchment paper. I do about 3-4 around the edge of the bowl where there is a gap between the dough and the bowl (see video).

Step 15

Place the lid back on top and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 20 minutes.

Step 16

Remove the dutch oven from the oven and let the bread cool in it for 5-10 minutes, then remove the bread and let it cool on a wire rack until it's completely cooled.