A tried and true recipe from the good old American Betty Crocker…

Ingredients

• 3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 Tablespoon sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 package of regular active dry yeast (2 1/4 teaspoon)
• 1 1/4 cups very warm water (120°F to 130°F)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• cornmeal

Directions

1. in a large bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, sugar, salt, and yeast. Stir in water and oil until well mixed, about 1 minutes. Beat with a wooden spoon for two minutes.
2. Stir in one cup of flour. Stir in additional flour, 2 tablespoons at a time, until the dough leaves side of bowl, flour in incorporated, and the dough isn’t sticky. Cover tightly with plastic wrap; refrigerate at least two hours but no longer than 24 hours.
3. Grease large cookie sheet with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cornmeal, shaking off the excess. Divide dough in half.
4. With floured hands, shape each half of dough into smooth ball by stretching surface of dough around to bottom on all 4 sides. Pinch bottom to seal. Place dough balls on cookie sheet about 5 inches apart. Cover loosely with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise in warm place about 1.5 hours or until dough has doubled in size.
5. Heat oven to 375°F. Place 8 or 9 inch pan on bottom rack of oven. Add hot water until about 1/2 inch from top. Uncover dough. Carefully slash tic-tac-toe patter on each loaf top with a serrated knife. Bake 15-20 minutes or until loaves are dark golden frown and bread sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack. Cool.

Optional: I love to add 1/4 cup pitted an sliced kalamata olives and 1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary (or 1 tsp dried rosemary leaves) into each dough half with hands in Step 3 before shaping.

Optional: I have used Quick Rising dry yeast to speed up the rising time.