Jonas's Best-Looking Bread

Here's how:

• 1

  Mix all the ingredients by hand until you have a dough. If you want a chewy and crispy loaf, use an electric mixer with a dough hook for 10 minutes.

• 2

  Then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise at room temperature for 12–18 hours, until the dough starts to bubble.

• 3

  Then carefully pour the dough onto a floured work surface. Flatten the dough, but be careful not to pop the bubbles. Fold the dough: left to right, right to left, top to bottom, and bottom to top. Turn the dough over and place it in a proofing basket or a well-floured towel—preferably with wheat bran, as this prevents the dough from sticking to the towel.

• 4

  Let the dough rise until it doubles in size, for a couple of hours.

• 5

  Preheat a large oven-safe pot—or, ideally, an old-fashioned ceramic one—to 250–270°C, or preheat a baking sheet. Turn the dough upside down and place it in the pot or on the baking sheet, or pour it directly by turning the proofing basket upside down. Make a few slits in the dough, put the lid on, and place it in the oven at 250 °C. Bake for 35 minutes, then lower the temperature to 230 °C and remove the lid. Bake the bread for another 10 minutes or so until the core reaches 96 °C.

• 6

  This recipe also works great for making twisted baguettes. After kneading the dough, divide it into the desired portions, twist them, and place them on floured parchment paper, propped up with rolled-up, floured towels to support them while they rise to double or triple their size. Make a few neat slits in them before baking. Bake at 250 °C for 15–25 minutes; plenty of steam is needed.