Add warm water, yeast and sugar to a bowl. Stir well and leave for a few minutes (a good time to melt the butter).
Add the flour and salt and mix with a spoon until it's mostly mixed together.
Then pour in the butter and squidge it all together with your hands until the butter and water are incorporated - you'll have a shaggy ball with no or very few dry bits.
Cover the bowl and leave for 10 minutes.
Three light kneads: After the first 10 minutes, give the dough a light knead (about 10 kneads in the bowl). Then cover.
Repeat this 10 minute rest, then light knead, another two times.
Finally, cover and leave for 20 minutes.
Lightly flour a work surface. Tip out the dough onto the surface and roll into a long rectangle.
Roll it up (from the shorter side) and, with the seam facing down, tuck in the two edges so you have a pretty loaf-shaped thing.
Place in a 2lb loaf tin (I line mine with parchment to avoid sticking).
Leave in a warm place to rise.
Pre-heat the oven to 240C (220C fan-assisted).
Dust the loaf with flour and, if you'd like, slash it a few times with a bread knife.
Place in the oven for 20 minutes.
Reduce the heat to 220C (200C fan-assisted) and bake for another 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and carefully remove the loaf from the tin onto a wire rack.
Leave to cool before slicing.
