05Dust a pizza peel with some cornmeal to prevent sticking, and lay the formed dough on it. Let it rest (no need to cover it) for at least 40 minutes, or longer if the dough was chilled. It’s best to bake it when it’s no longer chilled.
06Twenty minutes before you are ready to bake, put a pizza stone in the middle rack of your oven, and put a broiler pan in the bottom rack. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Dust some flour on the top of your loaf, and make 1/4-inch deep slashes on the surface of the dough.
07After twenty minutes of preheating, slide the loaf onto the pizza stone. Pour a cup of warm tap water into the bottom broiler pan and shut the oven door to keep the steam inside.
08Bake for 30 to 40 minutes until you get a nice brown crust. Let cool completely on a wire rack.
09You can also bake this in a Dutch oven, which will eliminate the need for the broiler pan with the steam. But I prefer the pizza stone method.
10(Recipe is adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes A Day. I think they are geniuses wrapped in a blanket of smart and smothered in awesomeness.)