Herbed Fougasse

Day 8 BM #51 - 

Fougasse is a French Bread which is a market specialty in the south of France. It is known for its unique shape of slashing the dough and stretching it to resemble a tree.

The first time I came across Fougasse (pronounced as Foo-Gaas) was at Varada's space. I later on found various versions with different combinations of spices and herbs. Since my kids are fond of olives, I tried this bread with chopped olives and the result was a super hit with my family and friends.

Ingredients - 

All Purpose Flour 1 cup
Whole Wheat Flour 1 1/4 cup
Salt 3/4 tsp
Herbes de Provence 2 tsp
Olive Oil 3 Tbsp (divided use)
Olives, finely chopped 1/4 cup
Sugar 1 tsp
Active Dry Yeast 2 tsp
Warm Water 1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp
Milk 1 Tbsp for Brushing

Method Of Preparation -


In half a cup of warm water, add sugar and yeast. and set aside in a warm place for the yeast solution to froth up.

In a mixing bowl, add the flours, salt, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, chopped olives and mix well.

After the yeast solution has frothed up, add it to the flour mixture and mix to get a sticky and elastic dough. (I used the stand mixer and worked for about 10 minutes to get the sticky dough).

Oil a bowl, and place the dough in a warm place for about 2 hours, so the yeast can work its magic.

After the dough has doubled, place it on a floured surface and stretch it using your hands. Make a rectangle which is about 1 cm thick and place it on a parchment paper lined baking tray.

Imagine a center vein like that of a leaf and slash 3-4 diagonal cuts on either side of the center vein. (See picture for clarity). Brush it with milk and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes while the oven gets preheated.

Preheat the oven to 375 °F.

Place the baking tray with prepared dough in the oven and bake for 18 minutes. I broiled for a couple of minutes for a darker hue.

Remove and slice it as needed. Dip it in melted butter and enjoy.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 51

An InLinkz Link-up

Preparation Time 15 min + 2 hrs resting time + 20 min 
Makes a bread 13 inch X 7 inch