Tuscan Bread (no salt added!)

2 teaspoons active dry yeast

2 cups lukewarm water

5 cups bread flour (plus a little more if to keep the dough from sticking; I prefer King Arthur Organic bread flour)

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Cornmeal for sprinkling on the baking sheet

Bloom yeast and warm water in a large bowl for about five minutes. Then add 2 cups of flour and mix by hand or even in a bread machine which is how I mix mine. Cover and allow to rise in a warm place for at least 8 hours, but I recommend overnight.
When risen, add 3 cups flour and knead until a smooth dough forms. The dough should not feel sticky. Knead in the olive oil. Add a little flour at a time if the dough starts sticking.
Place the dough in an oil-coated bowl and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow to rise again until the dough has doubled – about 2 hours.
Sprinkle cornmeal on a baking sheet which will keep the bread from sticking to the pan.
Punch down the dough (the best part!) and then shape it into a loaf. Set the loaf to rise on your baking sheet to rise for a third time. Sprinkle some flour on top and cover with a kitchen towel. Allow the loaf to rise until it has doubled in size again, about 2 hours.
About 30 minutes before it’s ready to be baked, heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Mark the bread with x’s on the top of the loaf with a serrated knife.
Place the bread into the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven and place it on a rack to cool.
Slice with a serrated bread knife after it has cooled.