Portuguese Hearth Bread:

Instructions

📝 Pour the flour and water into a bowl or mixer bowl. 🔹 Mix for 5 minutes. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 40 minutes.
🔹 Add yeast and salt to the flour mixture. Knead (I used a stand mixer) for 8 minutes.
➡️ Cover and let rise for about 2 hours.
📌 Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Celsius (480 degrees Fahrenheit).
👉 Transfer the dough onto a floured surface or baking sheet. Dust it with flour (including your hands).
👉 Stretch the sides of the dough and fold them onto the remaining dough, forming an oblong loaf. Score the sides and lightly sprinkle with flour.
Place a container with boiling water in the oven. Put the bread in the oven. First, bake for 25 minutes at 250 degrees Celsius (480 degrees Fahrenheit), then reduce the temperature to 220 degrees Celsius (430 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for another 30 minutes. If you prefer a thicker crust, after this time, reduce the temperature to 180 degrees Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and bake for another 10 minutes.