5 Ingredient Homemade Bread

1. From:  Sally's Baking Addiction (January, 2020 Challenge)
2. 
   
3. Ingredients:
4. 3 and 1/4 cups (420g) bread flour (spoon & leveled), plus more for hands and pan
5. 2 teaspoons instant yeast (a little bit less than one package)
6. 2 teaspoons coarse salt (see note)
7. 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) cool water
8. optional: cornmeal for dusting pan
9. 
   
10. 1.  Mix the dough ingredients together. At first the dough will seem very dry and shaggy and you’ll question if it will even come together. But it will. Use a spatula at first, then switch to your hands to ensure all of the flour is moistened. The dough is actually a little sticky after it’s thoroughly mixed.
11. 2.  Let it rise at room temperature for 2-3 hours. Cover the dough and let it rise at room temperature for about 2-3 hours until doubled in size.
12. 3.  Use right away or refrigerate. After 2-3 hours, you can immediately continue with the next step. However, for ideal flavor and texture, I strongly recommend letting the dough sit in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Yes, 3 full days! I usually only let it rest for about 18 hours. During this crucial step, the cold air slows the fermentation process and adds so much flavor and texture. So, you can bake bread in 2-3 hours or in 3 days. The longer it sits, the better it tastes. 
13. 4.  Shape into 2 loaves or 1 boule. Rest as oven preheats. You can shape the bread into a round loaf (boule) or two longer loaves. I usually make 2 longer loaves side-by-side on a flat baking sheet, about 9×3 inches each. Score with a sharp knife or bread lame. Preheat the oven to a very hot 475°F (246°C). The extremely hot air will immediately set the crust so the bread rises up instead of spreading all over. To help ensure a crispier crust, after the oven pre-heats– pour boiling water into a baking pan on the bottom oven rack. Immediately place the dough inside and shut the oven door to trap the steam. The steam will help create that coveted crisp crust. If you have a dutch oven, shape the dough into 1 round loaf, and bake it inside the dutch oven with the lid on.
14. 5.  Bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Gently tap the loaves because if they sound hollow, they’re done.