Directions

1. Measure the warm water into a large bowl. Add the dried yeast and stir briefly to disperse. Leave for 5-10 minutes for the yeast to dissolve and become active. Add the salt and stir.
   
2. Stir in the flour and roughly mix into a stiff batter, scraping all the flour from the side of the bowl. You will be left with a very sticky ball in the bottom of the bowl. Cover the bowl loosely with cling wrap and leave it in a warm place for about 12 hours.
   
3. After 12 hours you will have a sticky, almost pourable, spongy batter. Turn on the oven and preheat to 400°F. Put the oven rack in the top half of the oven.
   
4. Half-fill a roasting pan with boiling water and put it on the bottom shelf of the oven as the oven heats up to baking temperature.
   
5. While the oven is heating you can prepare a baking sheet. Line the baking sheet with parchment and liberally sprinkle with flour.
   
6. Remove the cling wrap and sharply tap the bowl on a bench to deflate the spongy dough. Dip a dry wooden spatula into some flour and scrape and pour the dough onto the prepared baking tray at the same time trying to shape it roughly into a ciabatta 'slipper' shape. You can tease it into shape with your spatula or with well floured hands.
   
7. Put the baking tray in the hot oven and bake for 40 minutes, or until cooked to 205 degrees. When cooked the bread should be golden and sound hollow when tapped. Cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray then cool completely on a cooling rack.