Combine all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl (including both the zest and then juice of one lemon). The dough will not be overly sticky but should come together. Add just a little water at a time if needed to incorporate all the flour.
Cover the dough with plastic wrap and put a towel over the top to help it seal. Set the bowl aside for at least 8 hours to rise (I have gone as long as 24 hours).
When ready to bake, heat oven to 450F. Place a large cast iron pot (dutch oven) on the medium or medium low rack while preheating for it to get hot.
Use a spatula to scoop the dough into the hot pot. (If preferred, shape the dough on the counter during preheating but I find it is easy to drop the dough in a rough circle straight into the pot).
Place the lid on the pot and cook at 450F for 30 minutes.
Remove the lid and let cook an additional 15 minutes to further brown. If it looks or smells done sooner, remove from oven sooner.
Let the bread cool completely on a cooling rack.
Notes
This makes one large loaf of rustic bread, which is much more dense than a French bread.The lemon is faint in this recipe. If you want a strong lemon flavor, increase to 2 lemons.If it smells like the bread might be starting to burn, place a cookie sheet on a rack below the Dutch oven rack to help disperse heat. I also make it a habit to put extra flour in the bottom of my pot before adding the bread to act as a barrier, then I scrape it off, since I have this problem somewhat frequently.