Fougasse is one of my favourite breads. They’re great for lunches or just snacks. With the recipe on this blog you could make one big ‘tear and share’ fougasse or 5 small fougasses. We tend to eat ours with soups, but they are delicious if you dunk it in balsamic vinegar and olive oil.
Fougasse is a surprisingly easy bread to make. You just have to remember to handle with care! It’s also a great way to use up left herbs in your fridge, if you have any. If you’re savvy though you could go to your local heath or down land and pick up some free herbs, such as Marjoram or Wild Thyme. Most herbs will go with fougasse, for mine I used Rosemary and Thyme both of which we have in the garden so they’re free!
marjoram and other flowers growing on my local heath land
Marjoram- use in place of oregano. Can be found on chalky heath land
Recipe:
250g strong white flour
5g salt
7g yeast
1 tbsp olive oil
190ml water
semolina for dusting (if you’re fancy)
herb of your choice.
Place the flour, yeast, salt and olive oil in a bowl. Gradually add the water. It may seem like there is too much water but it does eventually all soak in- just be patient! The dough eventually becomes really elastic and smooth. You need to knead it for about 10 minutes by hand and be prepared to get messy. Place this is an oiled bowl to rise for 1 hour.
Once it’s doubled in size carefully tip the dough onto a heavily floured surface. Here I use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter to divide the dough into 5 pieces, or leave it as one big piece. Place the dough onto a lined baking tray. I try to arrange the dough into a croissant like shape but slightly flattened. Then cut several holes into the dough- only about 3-5 cms long.
Leave this to prove for 20-30 minutes and now preheat your oven at 220°C. Once the proving stage is done add a little oil to the top of each fougasse and softly massage the oil into the dough. Sprinkle over your herbs of choice with a bit of flour and a sprinkling of salt if you want.
Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.
More bread less dough 