Fougasse
Bryan and I got to spend the weekend in Denver for his cousin's wedding. We've been there once before, so we were really excited to go back and visit. We've been really busy at home, so it was nice to get away. The best way to experience a city is to eat all the great food it has to offer, which is exactly what we did! Denver has an amazing food scene and a microbrewery at every corner.
Although weekend getaways are great, I always miss making home cooked meals and baking. The first thing I decided to make was a Fougasse. This is a provencal bread and is slashed into a pattern resembling an ear of wheat. This recipe has only 4 ingredients and unlike most bread, it involves one rise. This is the French equivalent to focaccia bread and can be made with fresh herbs or chopped olives. I made one of mine with sesame seeds and the other with rosemary. It is also delicious dipped in some good olive oil and balsamic vinegar!
INGREDIENTS
- 500g bread flour
- 5g active dry yeast
- 10g salt
- 350 ml warm water (110 degrees F)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh rosemary
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
DIRECTIONS
- In a large bowl, combine bread flour, yeast, and salt. Pour in the water and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough starts coming together
- Lightly flour your work surface and knead your dough for 5-7 minutes. The dough will be a bit sticky, but will gradually get less sticky after you knead it
- Shape the dough into a round ball and place in a lightly greased bowl. Cover with a plastic wrap and place in a warm place for 1 hour or until the dough doubles in size
- Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and place your baking stone on the bottom rack of the oven.
- Divide the dough into two equal pieces and roll out in a triangular shape. Make a large diagonal cut across the centre of the dough almost to the ends. Make 3-4 smaller diagonal cuts either side of the large cut to make a leaf shape. Repeat on the other half of the dough.
- Brush each fougasse with olive oil and sprinkle rosemary one one of them and sesame seeds on the other. Slide the fougasse on your baking stone and bake for 12-14 minutes.
