put flour, yeast, and salt in a mixing bowl

add butter or lard and 1 1/4 cups warm water, stir together

once stirred togther add the remaining water, remember you may need a little more or a little less, so add it a small amount at a time until the mix is pulling together in a ball

dust your counter with flour, tip the dough out and knead for 5-10 minutes until the dough is soft and smooth

place in an oiled bowl, cover and let prove until the dough is doubled in size

once it's doubled, punch it down, folding the dough to the center

divide the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 chunks

take the 2/3 piece and pat it to a rectangle, fold over in thirds long ways, then fold each end in, use your hands to pat and strech the dough into a circle

repeat with the smaller piece of dough

place the smaller circle on top of the bigger circle, pat down gently, flour up two fingers and plunge them down through both circles to bind them together

cover completley and let rise about one hour or until the dough is soft and springy

meanwhile pre-heat the oven to 425˚ and out a large roasting pan of water on the bottom rack

once the bread is done rising, remove the plastic wrap, slash it in 8 places, dust lightly with flour and bake at 415˚ for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 375˚ and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until the bread is done

test for doneness by knocking on the bottom of laof, if it sounds hollow it's done