In the evening before baking day (for me it was at 7 PM ), mix flour, salt and yeast.

Add the water and mix with your hands, a wooden spoon or a Danish dough whisk, until combined and no flour is left dry.

Cover and leave at room temperature for an hour.

After an hour do around 10 stretch and folds, picking up the dough from one side, stretching it and then bringing it onto its opposite side or the center of the dough. Turn the bowl around 90 degrees and continue the same procedure 8-10 times.

Cover and rest another hour, then do a second stretch and fold.

Cover and leave it for the night.

Next morning (7 AM for me), check the dough, it should have doubled in volume. If not, leave it some more.

When dough is ready, preheat the cast iron pot with its lid, in the oven, at 220 °C.

For the last fermentation you can use a proofing basket, or a bowl with a tea towel on top, or a strainer with the tea towel. Sprinkle flour generously on whichever you choose.

Sprinkle lightly some flour on the working bench.

With a dough scraper or a spatula, detach the dough from the sides and turn it onto the floured bench.

Fold a few times the dough, grabbing it from the exterior and bring it into the center. Pinch it in the center and then turn the dough 90 degrees and fold again. Do this 8 times, or until you can feel the dough is getting tight.

Then flip it with the seam side down, and with both of your hands, drag the ball from the far end towards you, tucking it underneath a little. This will create tension on the surface of the ball. Rotate 90 degrees and repeat the dragging and tucking, 4 times in total.

Place the dough, flipped with the seam side up, into the proofing recipient you chose.

Cover and leave to rest 45 min or until when poked with the finger, the dough comes back up slowly and leaves a slight dent into the surface.

Remove the pot from the oven with the help of some oven mittens.

Flip the dough onto a parchment paper, slice once in the center, from one side to the other, with a sharp knife or a razor blade. This first cut has to be quite deep, maybe 1 cm, so that the dough can have place to rise. You can make additional ornamental cuts on the sides if you like.

With the help of the parchment paper, transfer the dough into the cast iron pot, cover with the lid, and bake in the preheated oven for 30 min.

After 30 min, remove the lid and bake for 15 min more.

Remove the bread carefully and leave on a cooling rack until completely cooled.