Stir the yeast into ½ cup of the warm water and set aside.

Sieve the flour, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl and stir well. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and gradually add the yeast mixture along with the remaining 1 ½ cups water and the olive oil, mixing together to form a dough. If the dough is too sticky to form a ball and pull clean from the sides of the bowl, add a little more flour. Turn out onto your silicone baking mat and knead for 10-15 minutes until smooth and elastic.

Transfer the dough to a clean, lightly oiled bowl and spray the dough with a thin coating of cooking spray. Wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to proof in a warm, draft-free place for 1½ hours or until doubled in size.

Remove the plastic wrap, and turn back out onto your baking mat. Punch down and flatten the dough until it is in a large, thick rectangle. Roll the dough up tightly, sealing the seam well after each roll. The dough should be elongated and oval-shaped, with tapered and rounded (not pointed) ends.

Preheat your oven to 425°F and place a clean metal pan, such as a roasting pan, in the bottom of the oven.

As the dough is already shaped on your silicone mat, simply slide the whole thing onto a cookie sheet.

Loosely cover the loaf with a floured tea towel and leave to proof for 30 minutes, or until doubled in size.

Brush the dough with the egg white. Using a razor blade or sharp knife, slash the dough lengthwise about 1/4-inch deep, holding the blade at a 45 degree angle.

Immediately before transferring the loaf to the oven, take a cup of cold water and pour it into the hot roasting dish in the bottom of the oven. Try to keep the door shut as much as possible to stop the steam from escaping.

Spray the dough generously with water from a water bottle (or just wet your fingers and flick it if you don’t have a bottle) and place in the oven. Immediately close the oven and bake for 3 minutes. Open the oven door and spray/flick the dough with water again. Close the oven door and bake for an additional 3 minutes before spraying/flicking the dough for a third time.

Bake the dough for a total of 45 minutes (so another 39 after the final spray). To check that the loaf is done, tap the bottom; it should sound hollow. Allow the bread to cool before slicing but serve slightly warm.