Warm the water just a little so that it feels just slightly warmer than body temperature. That should put it at about 100°F (40°C) or slightly below.

In a very large bowl or a 6-quart container with a lid, mix the yeast & salt with the warm water. Don’t worry about getting the yeast to dissolve.

Add the flour to the water mixture all at once, then use a spoon or dough whisk to mix until the flour is completely incorporated and you have a lumpy dough. As you're mixing the dough, it may become too difficult to incorporate all the flour with the spoon. At that point, just use very wet hands to bring the mixture together. But do not knead the dough! It’s not necessary. You just want the dough to be uniformly wet and loose enough to conform to the shape of its container. And be certain that there are no dry patches of flour.

Loosely cover the container and let the dough hang out at room temperature until it begins to rise considerably. It will collapse or flatten a little on the top in about 2 hours.

At that point, stash the container of dough in the fridge with a loose cover. Don't seal it for the first few days. It is important to allow the gases to escape during that time. After a few days, you can tightly cover it.

You can use the dough anytime after the initial 2-hour rise, although the refrigerated wet dough is less sticky and easier to work with than dough at room temperature, so it’s best to refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours or overnight before handling it. Once refrigerated, the dough will seem to have shrunk back upon itself as though it will never rise again—that’s normal. Whatever you do, do not punch down this dough. You’re trying to retain as much gas in the dough as possible, and punching it down knocks gas out and results in denser loaves. Mark your container with the date so that you're certain to use the dough at some point within 14 days.

When you want to bake a fresh loaf of artisan bread, cover your pizza peel with a piece of parchment paper.

Grab that refrigerated container of prepared dough and sprinkle the surface of the dough with flour. Pull up and cut off a piece of dough weighing at about 16-ounces. Hold the dough in your hands, adding more flour as needed so that it doesn’t stick to your hands. Gently stretch the surface of the dough around the bottom all the way around, rotating the dough as you go to form a ball. By adding a generous amount of flour as you work, you are creating a “gluten cloak” on the surface of the wet dough so that it is easily shaped. Work quickly so that the entire process takes just 20 to 30 seconds. You don’t want to overwork the dough. 

The bottom of the ball of dough may appear to be a collection of bunched ends. Gently pinch those ends together; they will flatten out and adhere during resting and baking. The rest of your round loaf should be smooth and cohesive.

Place the shaped ball of dough on a pizza peel that’s been covered with a sheet of parchment paper, seam side down with all the collected bunched ends on the peel. Let it rest for about 40 minutes. It doesn’t need to be covered. You most likely will not see much rise during this period; that's normal. It will rise much more during baking.

If you prefer your bread with a wonderful “custard crumb” interior (chewy & moist with air holes that have shiny walls), then cover the ball of dough with an overturned bowl. Allow it to rest for a full 90 minutes.

Choose which method you'll be using to bake your Artisan Bread.

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place your baking stone (or overturned metal tray) near the middle of the oven and place an empty metal broiler tray on any shelf that won’t interfere with rising bread. Never use a glass dish …it can shatter when the water is added. Give the stone at least 20 to 30 minutes to fully heat through.

Just before baking, dust the top of the loaf generously with flour. That will prevent the knife from sticking. Slash a half-inch-deep cross, tic-tac-toe pattern or slightly curved stripes into the top. You can use the tip of a serrated bread knife or a bread lame for slashing your markings. Leave the excess flour in place for baking; it can be brushed off before serving if desired.

The loaf is then carefully placed, with the parchment paper, on the preheated stone. Carefully pour about one cup of hot tap water into the broiler tray and very quickly close the oven door. It is important to trap the steam within the oven. Bake the bread for a total of 30 to 35 minutes until the crust is browned to your liking and is firm to the touch.

If you prefer a very crispy bottom crust, pull the parchment paper from under the bread after the first 20 minutes of baking.

Allow the bread to fully cool on a wire rack for up to 2 hours for the best flavor, texture and ease of slicing. 

Preheat a lidded Dutch oven for 45 minutes at 450ºF.

Just before baking, dust the top of the loaf generously with flour. That will prevent the knife from sticking. Slash a half-inch-deep cross, tic-tac-toe pattern or slightly curved stripes into the top. You can use the tip of a serrated bread knife or a bread lame for slashing your markings. Leave the excess flour in place for baking; it can be brushed off before serving if desired.

Carefully remove the hot lid and place it on a rack nearby. Please be careful – it is super hot! Use the piece of parchment paper as handles and carefully lower the formed dough-topped parchment paper into the preheated pot. Cautiously grab that hot lid and cover the Dutch oven to trap the heat and steam within. No need for a steam bath with this method.  

Bake the bread for a total of 30 to 35 minutes until the crust is browned to your liking and is firm to the touch.

Remove the lid after the first 20 to 25 minutes and continue to bake uncovered until the crust is richly browned. 

Allow the bread to fully cool on a wire rack for up to 2 hours for the best flavor, texture and ease of slicing.