Fougasse Bread Recipe

Fougasse Bread

 Photo © Molly Watson

 

Fougasse is a simple flat bread, delicious topped with just a sprinkle of salt but also pretty darn tasty with a scattering of olives, cheese, tomato, or whatever else catches your fancy.

Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Yield: Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. active dry yeast
• 4 - 4 1/2 cups all-purpose or bread flour
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil, plus more for the pan
• 1 tsp. sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• About 1 cup olives, capers, chopped seeded tomatoes, and/or grated cheese (optional)
• About 1 Tbsp. chopped herbs (optional)

Preparation:

1. Sprinkle the yeast into a large bowl with 1 3/4 cups warm water (around 75°F - 80°F is best). Let it sit until the foams a bit to make sure the yeast is active, about 5 minutes. Dump 4 cups of the flour, the oil, and the salt into the bowl and mix until a dough forms. Knead – either in a standing mixer or on a well floured surface – until the dough becomes smooth and elastic feeling. You may need to use additional flour for the kneading, but add as little as possible – you want a relatively wet dough.
2. Put dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, and let sit until dough has doubled in bulk, about an hour or so.
3. Preheat oven to 400°F. Drizzle a large baking sheet with olive oil and use your hand to spread it over the pan. With that now-oily hand, punch down the dough and scoop it out onto the oiled baking sheet. Rub your hands together so they are both oily and gently but firmly work the dough to fill the pan. Let sit until the dough gets a bit poofy looking again, about 15 minutes.
4. I like to use a sharp paring knife to cut slashes into the dough – this creates more crunchy and crispy crusty sections. Sprinkle the bread with sea salt and top with any of the extra toppings or herbs you want to use. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes.

Source: localfoods.about.com