500 grams Swiss Dark Flour

7 grams yeast

7 grams sea salt

350 grams cold water

Put the flour and yeast in a bowl and dissolve the salt in the water.

Pour the water and salt mix into the bowl and pull everything together using scraper and hands, then cover it with a shower cap and leave it for 40 minutes, folding the dough over once during that time with wet hands.

Scrape the dough out onto an unfloured surface and work the dough using Richard Bertinet's method of "slap and fold". (During the 10 minutes of working the dough I wet my hands twice as the dough just needed that little bit of extra water. The flour mixed beautifully into a soft pliable dough full of life.)

Put a small amount of flour on the worktop and stretch and fold the dough into a ball before placing it into a covered bowl.

Leave the dough to rise in a cool kitchen to double in size.

Scrape the dough out onto a lightly flour dusted worktop and stretch and fold into a shape for a loaf tin keeping as much air and life in the dough as possible.
Cover the tin again with the shower cap and leave it in the kitchen to rise a second time.

Once the dough has risen, heat the oven which also contains a metal tray, to 220°C.

Once the oven is up to temperature, carfully pour a large mug of boling water onto the hot tray.

Flour and slash the top of the loaf and bake it for 40 minutes. If you prefer a crustier loaf, give it a few more minutes.