Use a large bowl, as the dough will expand as it rises.  Add the flour to the bowl, then put the salt and yeast on separate sides.  Then add the water.  Stir together until it resembles dough (I use a wooden spoon, but whatever you have works).  Once it's come together, I get in there with my hand and lightly knead it to bring it together into more of a dough ball.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rise in a warm-ish place for 2 to 5 hours, until it’s doubled in size.  I’d go more on the 3-ish hour timeline…I tend to forget about it and go 4-5 hours, and often feel like it’s a little over-proved.

Flour your hands and the counter well, and then turn the dough out onto the counter.  It's quite a wet dough, so just be patient.  Work with the dough a little, giving it a little bit of kneading but not anything crazy...mostly it’s just getting some flour worked into the dough so it doesn’t stick as much, and stretching it a bit so it starts to feel more smooth.

Then divide it into three equal sections (these will each be loaves).  If you're putting add-in ingredients, now's the time to work those into the dough.  Just flatten it out a bit, put the ingredients on, and then fold it in and knead until the ingredients are well-incorporated.

Shape your dough into a smooth ball and place on parchment paper.  Let the dough sit here for about 40 minutes, covered with a clean kitchen towel or plastic bag.  This is your second rise.

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Put an empty baking-safe metal pan (not glass or pyrex!) in the bottom of the oven or on the bottom rack to heat up…this will be important in a few minutes!  

Place the parchment paper and dough on a baking sheet or cast iron griddle.  Once the oven is hot, make a few deep slashes on the dough (to let steam out while baking), and place the pans in the oven.  Carefully pour about an inch of water into that HOT metal pan you placed in there.  Ideally this is at least four inches below your bread baking. The purpose of this is to create some steam, which helps the outer shell of the bread develop while the inside stays soft.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the outer crust is good and hard. If you like it darker, you can set the oven on broil for a minute or two.

The bread should be at least 200 F inside when done, and when you flip it over and tap the bottom it should sound hollow. 

ONE CRITICAL POINT:  Make sure to let the bread cool down completely, or at least to less than 85 F inside before cutting in…otherwise you’ll end up with a dense, doughy mess.