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1
Sprinkle yeast over warm water. Let stand until yeast dissolves and starts to swell, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix flour and salt in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Pour yeast and water mixture into the dry ingredients. Process this mixture until it forms a rough ball. (Add a tablespoon or so of flour if the dough is excessively wet and sticky. Add a tablespoon or so of water if dough feels hard and dry.)
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2
Turn dough onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand for a few seconds to ensure that the dough is satiny and smooth. Form dough into a ball and put it in a large bowl that's been coated with vegetable oil spray or a very light film of oil, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until the dough doubles, anywhere from 1 1/2 to 3 hours depending on room temperature. (This is where you get to take a nap, read a book, or watch TV!)
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3
Punch the dough down and turn it out onto a floured work surface. If you are making loaves, halve dough and shape into rounds or baguettes. If you're making rolls, divide the dough into 12 pieces and shape each one.
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4
Transfer shaped dough, seam side down, to a cornmeal-coated baking sheet (I don't have a fancy pizza stone, and I think the sheet pan works fine.) Cover shapes with a barely damp kitchen towel and let the dough shapes rise until almost doubled in size, another 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours.
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5
When ready to bake, move a rack to the lowest position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.
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6
Make a few long, deep (about a 1/2 inch) slashes on your loaves, or one big one on each roll.
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7
As you slide the pan into the oven (carefully!) toss about 3/4 cup water onto the oven floor and quickly close the oven door. Bake until crust is brown and crispy, about 25-30 minutes. Cool bread on a wire rack.
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8
(Can be wrapped in plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for a few days. Wrapped loaves can be placed in a zipper-lock bag and frozen up to 1 month.)
