The Grounds Fougasse
I’ve always loved baking bread because it evokes such strong memories for me. When I lived in Bordeaux I was lucky enough to live above a bakery and when I would come home late in the night, the bakers would give me bread straight from the oven – it was the best thing in the world. In the mornings they’d actually wake me up from the smell of fresh bread in the ovens.
There’s something so comforting about making and sharing homemade bread; especially being able to eat it fresh from the oven in the winter months. It’s such a simple thing to create but it’s also healthier and more cost effective too.
When making bread at home, the most important thing to remember is not to overwork or underwork your dough. By overworking it, you’re likely to make it become heavy and dense instead of light and airy. Underworking it means you won’t activate the gluten and it will tear easily with little elasticity. It’s a fine balance to master but the old saying runs true that practice makes perfect.
With the cooler temperatures settling in, there’s no better time to be warming your hands in front of the oven and baking your very own homemade bread. If you’re a little hesitant about bread-making or even if you’ve never baked before, this recipe for the classic French flatbread Fougasse is so simple and very easy to make. I guarantee it’s a sure-fire crowd-pleaser!
A classic in french cuisine, this bread makes for an ideal addition to any menu. Seasoned and garnished to your taste, and served best with olive oil or as an accompaniment to a dip.
Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to highest temperature (250°C) with a baking stone or thick baking tray placed inside.
2. Add all ingredients into a food mixer with a dough hook attached. Be careful not to have the yeast touching the salt prior to mixing as it will burn the yeast and affect the fermentation process.
3. Start mixing on slow speed until the ingredients combine and start to form a dough. This will take a couple of minutes.
If working with machine:
- Turn on to medium speed and mix until the dough is smooth and comes away from the bowl, almost shiny. This may take another 5-10 minutes depending on the power of the machine.
If working by hand:
- Flour work surface and hands and turn the dough out onto the bench.
- Continue by stretching out the dough and folding it onto itself.
- Keep working until the dough comes away clean from the work surface. Form the dough into a ball.
4. Place the dough in a slightly oiled bowl large enough for the dough to grow in size but not overflow, and cover with a damp tea towel. Rest for an hour at room temperature.
5. When the dough has risen to twice its original size, gently turn the dough out onto a well floured surface, being careful not to deflate the dough too much.
6. Generously flour the top of the dough and slightly stretch it to cover a square of the work surface.
7. Rest for 5 minutes.
8. Using a dough scraper, cut the dough into 2 halves, then cut each half into 3 roughly triangular shapes.
9. For each triangle, make 1 large cut in the center of the dough, going through to the work surface, careful not to cut the dough in half.
10. Then make 3 small diagonal cuts on each side of the central cut. Using your fingers, gently enlarge the holes in the dough to resemble a leaf shape and shake off excess flour.
- Lift gently onto a slightly floured (or semolina) surface and garnish to your liking, using a variation of olive oil, salt flakes, rosemary, thyme, herbs, olives, sesame etc.
- Rest for about 30 minutes.
- Slide onto the baking stone or tray. With a spray bottle, spray enough water into the oven to create steam (5-10 sprays), and bake for 10-12 minutes (until golden brown).
- Once cooked, remove from oven and brush with olive oil while it is still hot to give a shiny finish.
- Serve warm.