In a large mixing bowl add the flour, salt, yeast and stir together. Pour in the warm water and stir together to form a shaggy dough, it will be loose and wet - which is what we want.

Cover it with cling wrap or a damp tea towel (if using a damp tea towel you will need to rewet it as needed to retain the moisture in the towel). You can do this step for 1 and half hour at room temperature/a warm space (short fermentation) or for 18 hours/overnight in the fridge (long fermentation).

During this step feel free to do a couple of stretch and folds to create air in the dough - if it is too sticky to handle add a little oil on your fingers before handing.

Lightly flour the surface and your hands remove the dough gently onto the surface and shape into a ball. Do this with a dough scraper or your hands. We want a tight ball creating tension to trap any air in the dough.

Dust a large sheet of baking paper with flour and place the shaped ball of dough on it, cover with a damp tea towel and let it rise for 45-60 minutes until doubled.

Half an hour into the second proof, preheat the oven to 450°F/230°C with a dutch oven covered with a lid. Depending on how long it takes for the oven to heat up plan this step accordingly. I like allowing my oven and pot to preheat for 30 minutes minimum.

Back to the dough, remove the damp tea towel, score the top with a sharp knife. Remove the hot pot from the oven, lift the baking paper sheet with the proofed dough and place in the hot pot.

Cover with a lid and bake at 450°F/230°C for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 20-30 minutes until the dough is baked through. When you knock the dough it should have a hollow sound. Allow it to cool before slicing.