Fougasse

Today I’m making a bread called Fougasse (fugaahsse).  I know about wheat belly and all of that, but you know what “I’m baking bread, the house smells absolutely heavenly, it took my mind off all the troubles of this world for a while.  Very very therapeutic.  I’m having bread.  Amen !     Now where’s my cheese?   LOL.

FOUGASSE

VIDEO (By The French Pastry School)

This was my first attempt at Fougasse.  I’m mostly happy with it, but I should have taken it out sooner.   It looked beautiful, but it was a little hard, but that’s okay I can use it for soup dunking.  I wanted it to be very soft.  I should have babysat the oven for this first time making it.   BUT … (yay) I have two others from the big batch I made, so I’ll repost those pics after I bake them off.  I put them the refrigerator for another day.

I made Rye bread on the same day I made the fougasse, so the gallery below is a mixture of both breads.

Above is my very first fougasse.  See how dark it is.  It was still yummy but a little like a hard pretzel.   So watch your oven.  I’d say 8-10 minutes should be perfect.

You can see many different variations of Fougasse at TasteSpotting.com

The Fougasse below is from Elra’s Baking.ra  Isn’t it gorgeous.  She’s obviously made a few of these before.  

1st you must make  POOLISH (a preferment)

FRENCH VERSION Demonstrated by The French Pastry School

STEP #1.
165 g (6 oz) bread flour a/k/a “strong”.
165 g (6 oz) lukewarm water
2 g dry yeast (or 1 tspn)

• Add yeast to warm water let rest 10 minutes for yeast to activate
• Mix Yeast together with Flour (use spatula) to make a liquid paste (looks like porridge) Cover and let rise for 2 hours.

The above is the 1ST RISE

STEP #2.  (Prepare your filling)
Now Mix together

• 100 g green
• 100 g black olives
• 4 g herbs d provence
• 25 g extra virgin olive oil (Amoretti)
• marinade 2 hoursAlternatively you could use sundered tomatoes/caramalzed onions

After 2 hours or so, the Poolish will be full of bubbles and look like it’s ready to collapse.

STEP #3.
TO kitchenaid  ADD … THE Fougasse mixture which has risen

• 185 gr water
• 25 g rye flour
• 310 gr bread flour
• 1.5 dry yeast
• 10 gr salt

If using your kitchenaid appliance:  use the Dough Hook to Knead

• Mix on speed 1 for 4 minutes
• Switch to 2nd gear and mix for 6 minutes
• Add the olive mixture
• Mix on Speed 1 til mixed.  Now let it rise for the 2nd time.  This is the 2nd RISE … 1 Hour

Step #4.  

• Once dough has risen PLACE DOUGH ON BOARD AND DIVIDE
• WEIGHT approx 265-270 GR (you should get 3 pieces)
• shape the dough into 3 balls, cover with plastic and let rest 15 minutes … This is the 3rd rise.

Step #5.

• Gently remove Plastic, lightly flour board, and press the gas out .. stretch/pull/roll out into a large rectangle 1/4″.  Stretch the bottom of rectangle so that a triangle is formed.
• put the triangles” dough on parchment paper
• use your scraper and make “cuts”  /one in middle/three on either side
  (like a tree with branches)
  
• Now let Rise … 1 hour to 1.15 min.  This is the 4th rise.

Step #6.

• BAKE at 450 degrees 8-10 minute
• Brush with olive oil infused with thyme. The french pastry school used the Amoretti Olive Oil you see toward the end of this post.

RECIPE #2. FROM THE BREAD KITCHEN

• 165 g (6 oz) strong white flour
• 165 g (6 oz) lukewarm water
• 1 tsp dried yeast

• 310 g (11 oz) strong white flour
• 185 g (6½ oz) lukewarm water
• 25 g (1 oz) rye flour (or strong white flour)
• 1 tsp salt

• 200 g (7 oz) olives, green or black or a mixture
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp mixed herbs

• 150 g (5 oz) sundried tomatoes
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp tomato paste
• 1 tsp mixed herbs

Instructions

1. Add the yeast to the water, mix and leave for 10 minutes to allow the yeast to activate.
2. Mix the yeast/water with the flour to form a soft paste. Cover and let rise for about 2 hours at room temperature. The Poolish is ready when it has large bubbles in it and looks like it is about to collapse.

1. Mix the filling ingredients together and leave to marinate for 2 hours while the poolish is fermenting.

1. Dilute the Poolish with the water and stir to produce a smooth liquid slurry.
2. Mix together the flours and salt. Make a well in the centre and add the diluted Poolish. Mix well to a soft and sticky dough.
3. Turn the dough out onto a surface and work it for 10-15 minutes. Once the dough comes together there is a special way to knead the dough which is shown on the video.
4. Place the dough on a floured surface and spread it out. Tip the filling on top, fold the dough over and, with the aid of a scraper, work the dough until all the filling is incorporated into the dough.
5. Place the dough in a well-oiled bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place until the dough has doubled in size.
6. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and divide it in two. Shape each piece into a ball.
7. Take each piece of dough in turn and roll out to about 1 cm (3/8″) thick. Make cuts in the dough using your plastic scraper and pull the dough apart to open up the holes. Transfer the dough to a well-greased baking sheet.
8. Place the baking sheet in a large plastic bag or cover with oiled plastic film. Let rise in a warm place for 45-60 minutes to prove.
9. Bake the Fougasse at 220°C/430°F fan oven, 240°C/465°F conventional oven for 8-10 minutes until puffed up and lightly browned.
10. Transfer the Fougasse to a wire rack and brush lightly with olive oil while still hot.
    The Olive Oil used in this recipe was Amoretti Olive Oil.  (see below)
11. Leave to cool. 

Amoretti Olive Oil 

Amoretti Premium Organic Extra Virgin finishing Olive Oil Infused with the Natural Flavor & Aroma of Kalamata Olives – 500ml Bottle.

• Amoretti Premium Organic cold pressed Tunisian Extra Virgin olive oil
• Kosher, Natural, Gluten Free, Vegan, Preservative free, GMO- free.

Available at Amazon

RECIPE: HERBS de Provence

• 2 tablespoons dried savory
• 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
• 2 tablespoons dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons dried basil
• 2 tablespoons dried marjoram
• 2 tablespoons dried fennel seed

BREAD BAKING FAV SITES
Elras Baking
The French Baking School
The Bread Kitchen

About Foughasse (from Wikipedia)