First thing in the morning, mix the flour, yeast, salt and water in a large bowl.
It will be a raggedy, sticky dough.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in a warm, draft-free place for the day (I turn on the oven for a minute and then turn it off, and I put the bread in the slightly warm oven for the day, especially useful for those who live in drafty antique houses).
When you get home from work - or at least 8 hours later – put the empty Dutch oven with lid in the oven and pre-heat the oven to 450ºF (if you’ve used the oven to rise the dough, make sure you take it out before pre-heating it!).
Spray a cutting board with olive oil spray and turn the dough out onto the board. Fold it once or twice and then let it rest, in a covered bowl, for 30 minutes while the oven pre-heats.
After 30 minutes, the Dutch oven will be very hot.
Carefully remove it from the oven and take off the lid.
Scoop up the dough, keeping the seam side down and drop it into the hot Dutch oven.
The dough will hiss as it hits the hot surface.
Using pot holders, shake the kettle from side to side to even out the distribution of the dough.
Return the cover to the pot and place in the oven to bake.
After 30 minutes, remove the lid and bake an additional 15 minutes uncovered until perfectly browned on top.
Turn bread out onto a rack and let cool at least 15 minutes before slicing.