whisk the flour, yeast, and salt together in a large bowl

add the warm water

stir with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together in a sticky dough ball

sprinkle some flour on a clean counter

scrape the dough out of the bowl onto the flour

sprinkle a little flour on top and knead, pushing out away from you with one or both hands, then folding it back on itself

knead for 6-8 minutes OR until the dough is soft and smooth and stretchy, see the post about testing for gluten development

once you're done kneading grease a bowl, add the dough to the prepared bowl, turn to coat the dough in oil

cover tightly and let it rest in a warm place until it has doubled in size

gently press the air out of the dough

scoop the dough out of the bowl, and bring the bottom of the dough together and pinch it a bit

place the dough on a clean counter pinch seam down and use your hands to make a smooth round loaf about 5 inches across, don't worry it will get wider

place the loaf on a baking sheet, use parchment paper on the baking sheet if desired

cover with plastic wrap or foil or a damp towel, if you're worried about the foil or wrap sticking spread a little oil on them so they peel off easily

once the loaf has almost doubled in size preheat the oven to 400° F

when the oven is hot take the cover off the bread

quickly slash the top of the loaf once or twice across the top of the loaf

slide the pan into the preheated oven onto a rack in the middle of the oven

bake 25-30 minutes or until the bread is browned and sounds hollow when thumped on the bottom

cool on a cooling rack as desired

serve it warm or cool