Add 500g of flour to a large mixing bowl. You will need an electric mixer with the dough hook attachment in place. If you don’t have one, you can mix it by hand. Add 10g of yeast to the one side of the mixing bowl and 1 tsp of salt to the other. The salt can damage the yeast if they have too much direct contact.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil. Slowly drizzle in about half of the water and mix until the mixture starts to form a rough dough. Continue adding in the water until all of the flour is incorporated and the sides of the bowl are clean.

Knead for 7–10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Rub the dough with a little olive oil and place it into a bowl. Cover with a clean tea towel and leave to rise until approximately double in size (about an hour).

Remove your dough from the bowl, lightly flour your work surface and gently press out the air using the heel of your hand. Give your dough a quick second kneading.

Form the dough into a rough loaf shape, folding it into thirds. Place the dough into a lightly greased large loaf tin, fold side down, and leave to prove again for a further hour, covered with a tea towel. About halfway through this time, preheat your oven to 200ºC (392ºF).

Gently flour the surface of your loaf and place the loaf tin in the oven. Then to the bottom of your oven add a handful of ice cubes to a shallow oven tray. The ice cubes will release steam and give your dough a good rise and your loaf a nice crispy crust.

Bake for 40–45 minutes, or until the loaf makes a hollow knocking sound when tapped on the underside with your knuckles. Let cool for at least 30mins before cutting.