I fell in love with focaccia many years ago, and without a doubt, my numerous travels to Italy played a major role in fueling that passion. Its French counterpart, fougasse, was something I discovered later, quite paradoxically. I first tried making it at home out of curiosity and then got the chance to perfect it during a boulangerie course I took at Le Cordon Bleu in the winter of 2017. Since then, a beautiful love story has unfolded between me and this leaf-shaped bread, and today it frequently graces my table, especially when I have guests.
The version I’m sharing here differs from those already published on Bistro Margot—which feature recipes for fougasse or focaccia made with yeast—because this one includes natural sourdough starter, the same one I regularly use for baking bread. I followed the recipe from the Larousse Book of Bread, curated by the renowned baker Eric Kayser, and aside from the use of sourdough, the recipe closely mirrors what I learned during my traditional boulangerie course at Le Cordon Bleu. It’s not surprising, considering that the course instructor was one of Eric Kayser's disciples.
INGREDIENTS:
500g bread flour
320g water
100g natural sourdough starter
5g fresh yeast
10g salt
30g extra virgin olive oil
200g pitted olives, chopped
100g grated gruyère, comté, or another type of hard cheese
In a bowl, mix together the flour, water, sourdough starter, yeast, and salt until the ingredients are well combined. I used a standing mixer and mixed until the dough became elastic and started to pull away from the sides of the bowl. At that point, I added the olive oil, followed by the chopped olives, and mixed a little longer. I shaped the dough into a ball and let it rise in a warm place for two hours, folding it once halfway through.
After the dough had risen, I lined a baking tray with parchment paper, lightly greased it with olive oil, and placed the dough on it, gently pressing it into the characteristic leaf shape with my hands. Using the tip of a knife, I made the traditional slashes, then decorated the fougasse with a few extra olives. Sometimes, I also add sundried tomatoes or cherry tomatoes for a pop of color. I covered the dough with a kitchen towel and let it rise again in the baking tray for another hour, during which I preheated the oven.
Once the time was up, I sprinkled the grated cheese over the fougasse just before placing it in the oven at 235°C (455°F). The cheese melts beautifully as the fougasse bakes for around 20-25 minutes, depending on your oven. From the quantities in this recipe, I made two fougasses.
After taking them out of the oven, I always use a tip I learned in my boulangerie course and have stuck with ever since: I mix extra virgin olive oil with finely chopped basil leaves and a minced garlic clove, then, while the fougasse is still warm and steaming, I brush it with this aromatic oil. This not only gives the bread a glossy finish but also enhances its flavor. I typically serve it as an appetizer, but it often gets devoured on its own, almost as the main event, with just a glass of wine to accompany it. That, I think, says it all.
Comments