Joan Rands' Artisan Bread

3 Cups lukewarm water
1 1/2 T. granulated yeast
1 1/2 T kosher salt
6 1/2 Cups unsifted, unbleached all-purpose white flour

Mix water and yeast in a 5 qt bowl with resealable lid (ice cream bucket works well). Add all the flour at once and stir until all the flour is incorporated. The dough will be very lumpy and sticky. Let raise for about 2 hours. It is now ready to use or put in the frig till later.

When you want bread, first sprinkle corn meal on a pizza paddle so the bread will slide off easily. Then dust your hands with flour and top of dough in bucket and grab about a grapefruit sized ball of dough. Hold the dough in your hands and gently stretch the surface of the dough around to the bottom on all four sides, leaving a smooth ball with all the ends tucked underneath. Flour hands as needed so as not to stick. Score the top of the dough ball and place on pizza paddle to rise.

Let the dough rise for about 40 minutes on the paddle. 20 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 450 with a pizza stone on the middle rack and an old broiler pan on the bottom rack. After 20 minutes (even if oven isn't hot enough) slide dough onto pizza stone. Pour 1 to 2 cups hot water into the broiler pan and close the door quickly to trap the steam. Bake for about 30-45 minutes until the crust is golden brown. Let cool before slicing.