Ingredients

• 400 g flour*
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 15 g fresh yeast or 3/4 teaspoon instant dry yeast
• 300 g cold water
• optional: 200 g cheese

Preparation

1. Sift flour into a large bowl, add salt, sugar and optionally chopped/crumbled/grated cheese, possibly other additions such as chopped dried tomatoes or olives. Mix water with yeast and gradually pour it into the bowl with flour, while gently stirring with a spoon and sweeping in successive portions of flour (total about 1-2 minutes of mixing). The dough will be sticky and coarsely combined. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and set aside to rise for about 14 hours (minimum 12 hours), preferably overnight (at room temperature, e.g. on the kitchen counter).
2. Dust the kitchen counter or worktop with flour and turn the dough from the bowl onto it. Using flour-dusted hands, fold the sides of the dough to the center forming a ball.
3. On the kitchen counter, place a clean kitchen towel, dust it with flour, place the dough in this location with the seam facing down. Cover the dough with the protruding sides of the towel and leave in a warm place for 1-2 hours. The dough is ready after doubling in volume.
4. Half an hour before the end of rising, preheat the oven to 240-250 degrees C, positioning the rack in the lower 1/3 of the oven and place the covered oven-safe pot, e.g. cast iron, on it, about 20-24 cm in diameter.
5. Carefully, using oven mitts, remove the hot pot from the oven and remove the lid. Place the dough in the pot with the seam facing up (slide it off the towel or quickly and carefully transfer it in floured hands). Be careful, as the pot will be very hot. Cover the pot and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and continue baking until the bread is well browned but not burned for 15-30 minutes (usually I bake for 20 minutes, and when the bread browns too much I place a piece of aluminum foil on it).
6. Remove the pot with bread from the oven, open it, after a few minutes lift the bread with a knife and remove it from the pot. Place it on a rack to cool completely. Slice only after cooling, after about 1 hour.