Pour the water into a small bowl, crumble in the yeast, add the honey, and stir well. In a large mixing or wooden bowl, combine the flour, salt, and spice and mix together.

Slowly add the yeast mixture to the flour mixture while stirring. Add the apple cider vinegar and mix the dough with a wooden spoon until well combined. If desired, fold in any additional ingredients, such as sun-dried tomatoes, olives, or other add-ins, and stir again until evenly incorporated.

Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for two hours.

Spray a cast-iron pot with baking spray or brush it lightly with oil.

Spread half of the remaining flour on your work surface. Carefully lift the dough out of the bowl using a dough scraper and place it on the floured surface. Dust the dough with the remaining flour and gently shape it into a ball, being careful not to knead it too much.

Carefully place the dough ball into the pot. Put the pot with the lid into a cold oven. Turn the oven on to 400°F (200°C) top and bottom heat and bake the bread for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the lid and continue baking the bread for another 30–35 minutes without the lid, until a nice crust has formed.

Let the bread cool in the pot for about 10 minutes. Then carefully transfer it to a cooling rack and allow it to cool completely.