In a large bowl mix together the water, yeast, flour, and salt until well combined.
Knead the dough in the bowl using your hands about 10 minutes then form into a ball, the dough should be smooth and elastic.
Drizzle 1 tsp of the oil over the ball then toss the dough around to coat in the oil.
Loosely cover the bowl then set aside in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour or until doubled in size.
Place the dough onto a piece of parchment paper and shape into a square roughly 8-inches by 8-inches.
Fold the dough into thirds then rotate the dough 90 degrees and fold into thirds again.
Flip the dough, seam-side down, and gently form into an oblong shape by cupping your hands around the dough, pulling the top of the dough tight and sealing it underneath. The dough should be tight on top and an oblong shape roughly 8-inches by 4-inches.
Lightly brush the top and sides of the dough with a little bit of oil just to keep it from drying out then set it aside to rise again, about 45 more minutes.
Place a baking sheet into the oven then preheat the oven to 475°F.
Use a serrated knife to score three diagonal shallow slits on the top of the dough.
When the oven has preheated carefully transfer the dough and parchment paper onto the hot baking sheet in the oven.
Spritz the dough well with cold water then bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bread has a lightly browned crust.
Transfer the bread to a cooling rack and allow to cool for about 30 minutes before slicing.
28 people Yepped this recipe
Print Recipe
