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1
In a large bowl, combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 and 5/8 cups tepid water, and any other ingredients, and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise 18 hours, at about 70 degrees F.
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2
Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it iwth a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
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3
Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surfce or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towl and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover iwth another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
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4
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6-8 quart heave covered pot (cast iron, enamel, pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hadn under towel to turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that's OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unequally distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15-30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
