Place warm water in bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and yeast. Let stand five minutes until foamy. Stir in half the flour and salt. Mix until dough forms. Add in remaining flour. Mix until stiff dough forms. Lightly flour work surface. Knead dough eight minutes or until smooth and elastic. It should stretch between fingertips and give a window pane effect. Turn dough onto lightly oiled bowl. Cover in plastic wrap. Let proof (sit) 1½ hours until double in size.
Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Punch down dough. Stretch to 21 inches long, 3 inches wide. Fold and shape. Pinch end. Place dough diagonally on greased cookie sheet. Let rise 30 minutes. Slash 3-4 times diagonally with razor. Bake 30 minutes until golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped. For better crust, preheat oven 1 hour with Dutch oven filled with water. Humidity will give better crust and texture.