Instructions: Place the water in a large bowl and dissolve the yeast in it.

Leave for 10 minutes until frothy.

Add the flour followed by the oil salt and rosemary.

Stir until it is all mixed together.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead by hand for 10 minutes adding a little more flour as needed until it forms a smooth and elastic dough.

Cover the dough and let it rest for 45 minutes in a warm place.

Punch the dough down a few times flattening it then divide it into two and either put each one in a lightly oiled rectangular 1.1 litre loaf tin or form each one into a loaf shape.

Place them on a floured baking sheet and cover with a clean cloth. (if the weather is hot the dough tends to be loose and spreads all over the place so it has to be contained. In such a case the loaf tin is the best solution or you can put a ring around each loaf to contain it.).

Let the dough rise for 30-40 minutes in a warm place.

Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/gas 8.
Steam is essential for a crusty loaf so put a dish of boiling water on the lower shelf of the oven.

Sprinkle the sea salt on top of the dough just before baking and bake for 45-60 minutes.

To see if a loaf is done take it out of any mould being used and tap it at the base; it should sound hollow.

If it isnt ready place it back on the baking sheet upside down without any tin and bake a little longer.

Let the loaf cool on a wire rack.

A very tasty bread but also easy to make and delicious toasted. So it is a good candidate for bruschetta and crostini Rosemary is the aroma one often encounters in breads from Tuscany can also be made with all kinds of additions such as sun dried tomatoes or walnuts. One could also use half wholemealflour and half white. italian flour which contains much more gluten achieves the best results; it can be found in specialist shops and some supermarkets.

Makes 1 large or 2 round loaves

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