This is yet another dish I was sure I had already blogged about. I searched my blog thrice with varying number of ‘s’ in Fougasse but I couldn’t find it. So the good news is that I have a dish to post today and the not so good news is that I am getting old and don’t remember anything at all.
Fougasse is seen as a cousin to the Italian Focaccia and was used to primarily figure out the oven temperature. The time taken for the fougasse to bake would give an idea of how hot the oven is and help the baker figure out when to load the other breads in the oven. I haven’t heard of a more delicious oven thermometer. I remember baking my first Fougasse couple of years ago and it turned out amazing every single time. There was a leaf in the garden then which resembled the fougasse perfectly and I used to bake a fougasse nearly every time I saw that plant which was very often because it was just outside my kitchen window. What fun! I love baking fougasse with rosemary because the aroma of rosemary in the oven is hard to beat. But it is lovely to have it as is with a dash of butter too.
Makes one large Fougasse
Recipe adapted from Artisan Bread in 5 minutes a Day
WHAT WE NEED
165 gms Lukewarm water
3 gms / 3/4 tsp Instant yeast
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Sugar
1 tbsp Olive oil
200 gms All purpose flour
1 tbsp Dried rosemary
WHAT TO DO
- Mix the yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil with water in a large bowl
- Add the flour and dreid rosemary and mix well to ensure no dry flour is left
- Cover and let the dough rise and collapse or flatten, around 2 hours
- It can be used immediately or after being refrigerated for 2 hours
- Take out the dough and dust it with a little flour to enable easier handling
- Flatten it to 1/2″ inch thickness and shape it like a leaf
- Grease a baking tray and dust it with some flour
- Transfer the dough to the baking tray
- Using a pizza cutter or knife slash the dough through the middle leaving the ends intact. Make small cuts on each side of the large slash
- Using your fingers gently pull open the holes in the dough
- Brush it with some olive oil and lest it rest for 20 minutes
- Preheat the oven to 200C
- Bake for 18-20 minutes till golden brown
- Serve warm
- Enjoy!
This is part of the Bake-a-thon 2017
Bread Therapy 
You know what! When I saw the email notification with this picture added in linky tool, I thought why is sowmya blogging about an old post!!! So please search again or else I will have to conclude I am getting old as well..heheheh..btw this is a beatiful bread looks so fantastic!
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Wow! Just look at that beautiful looking bread… I would’ve framed it! Happens to me as well, sometimes one idea clicks, I cook, I click and then I realize after a little search that I had already posted something similar with small variations… 😀 I guess our head becomes all scrambled after a few years with the husband and the children, that everything sinks in between… hehe…
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I haven’t made this bread so far and didn’t know it is so easy to make or your explanation has made it sound easier
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I too have a fougasse post lined up for this week. I love the shape of your bread – trying to imagine you looking out of the kitchen window looking at the plant which inspired the shape of this one!
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Oh come on Sowmya , we all forget at times what we post . The bread looks so pretty , must have tasted awesome , right ?
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I somehow had an inkling that today would be fougasse at ur blog. After the lovely Boule yday , am
Beginning to associate all great breads with ur blog now !! And what a lovely read to know that this bread determines what temp the oven was !! Neat 👍
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I’ve made Fougasse before and know how delicious it will be.
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Fougasse is our favourite, especially when they are baked with loads of cheese on the top, love to bake this beautiful bread, love this bread very much.
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Such a beautiful bread sowmya ! I just love them for their pretty shape! I once made 2 different shapes! Pair with a warm soup for a hearty meal!
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this has been on my to do list for such a long time. Yours is shaped beautifully
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wow!! never have mixed salt directly to yeast.. how does it survive? fougasse is looking beautifull
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From what I have read, it is perfectly ok to mix salt and yeast since they anyway get mixed in the dough. I have always done it that way and it hasn’t impaired the results
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Fougasse is on my to do list. Bookmarking your recipe to try soon.
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What a delicious way to check the oven temperature!! And that is one beautiful bread. I don’t think I will ever be able to cut into such a beautiful bread!
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