Fougasse:
Provençal Flat Bread
A simple and versatile Mediterranean flat bread...
We make Fougasse - pronounced "foogass" - on a regular basis here despite the fact that we are surrounded by hundreds of French boulangeries selling a huge variety of freshly made breads.
Closely associated with the Italian staple Focaccia, Fougasse hails from Provence, on the Med. We can’t get it here, so we make our own.
Our preferred way of serving it is for Apero - pre-dinner drinks and nibbles - cut into bite-sizeed squares rustically arranged on a wooden chopping board. We place a big chefs knife at an angle on top of another slab so everyone knows they can just cut up some more. Yummy!
Fougasse keeps for only a day, but freezes really well and eats superbly when gently re-heated in a low oven.
Serves 12
Ingredients:
500g plain, or strong flour
2 sachets easy-blend dried yeast
2 tsp salt
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
400ml luke warm water
large handful roughly chopped rosemary, sage, or thyme leaves
12 black olives
2 tsp rough sea salt
Method:
Put the flour, yeast, salt and oil in a roomy bowl and mix in most of the water with a wooden spoon, stirring to form a very soft gooey dough.
Turn out and knead on a floured worktop for about five minutes.
Place in a large oiled bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm part of the kitchen for one hour until doubled in size.
Preheat the oven to 220°C.
Lightly oil a baking tray and tip in the dough.
Now, with your fingers, gently spread the dough out to the edges of the tray, flattening it as you go. Leave again, uncovered, in a warm part of the kitchen for twenty minutes until risen again.
When it has risen, scatter with the herbs and gently ‘dib’ the surface of the dough with your fingertips making deep depressions in the surface. Sprinkle over the black olives and sea salt and place in the centre of the oven. Bake for about twenty minutes, or until golden.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for ten minutes or so. Cut into squares and serve.
"Jim Fisher is an English chef who runs www.cookinfrance.com: relaxed friendly hands-on cooking courses in the Dordogne region of south west France. Contact him via: http://www.cookinfrance.com or Tel: 0033 (0)553 302405"
Fougasse,
cut into squares
Making Fougasse
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