In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, water, salt, sugar, and yeast with a dough whisk or sturdy spoon until it has no dry pockets. The dough will be shaggy and very sticky. Grease a piece of waxed paper with oil or cooking spray, and put it, greased side down, over the dough. Place the bowl in a warm draft-free place until the dough looks puffy and bubbly and has risen to about double its size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
While the dough rises, grease two standard (8.5 x 4.5 inch) loaf pans with butter or nonstick cooking spray, and sprinkle some cornmeal in each pan. Tilt the pans, tapping gently, until the cornmeal coats the sides and bottom of the pan. Tap out the excess cornmeal. This makes the bread easy to remove once baked.
When the dough has risen, it’s time to get it into the pans. It’s sticky, right? This part’s messy: grease or oil your hands, and divide the dough in half. Put each half into one of the prepared pans. The pans should be about halfway full.Cover the pans loosely with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm, draft-free place until the dough is once again bubbly and puffy looking, and peeking above the edges of the pans, about 30–45 minutes.
Toward the end of the rising time, preheat oven to 350˚F / 175˚C.
When the loaves are risen, put the pans in the center of the oven and bake for 40 minutes. The loaves should be browned and will sound hollow when turned out of the pan and tapped on the bottom. The interior will register at least 190˚F on a digital thermometer.
Remove from the pans and cool completely on a rack before slicing for the best texture. Baked loaves will store well at room temperature for several days. They also freeze well.