No-knead bread

In a large bowl, combine the flour, yeast and salt. Pour in 325ml (11fl oz) of warm water and use your hands to scrunch everything together until there are no dry patches of flour and you have a rough, scruffy dough. Cover the bowl and leave to rest for 1-2 hours, or until the dough has doubled in size.

Lightly grease a 3lb (1.3kg) loaf tin with vegetable oil. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gently pat it flat into a rough square. Fold the top edge into the centre and press to seal, then fold in the left and right sides. Starting from the top, roll the dough towards you a little at a time, pressing to seal as you go, creating tension in the dough. Once you have a long sausage shape, place it seam-side down into the prepared loaf tin. Cover and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to its highest setting, ideally using conventional heat rather than fan-assisted. Place a heavy-based baking tray on the bottom shelf of the oven to heat up.

When the dough has risen, splash a little water over the top of the loaf and place it on the middle shelf of the oven. Carefully pour a small glass of ice-cold water into the hot tray at the bottom of the oven, close the door quickly, and immediately reduce the temperature to 200°C.

Bake for 40 minutes, turning the tin halfway through. To check if the loaf is baked, remove it from the tin and tap the base - it should sound hollow. If it doesn’t, return it to the tin and bake for an additional 5 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the tin and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.