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A close up of baked fougasse on a kitchen towel.
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Fougasse

Fougasse is a classic Provençal bread shaped to resemble a head of wheat with a few simple slits. This version gets its deep, developed flavor from an overnight pre-ferment and comes together easily the next day.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Rising Time15 hours
Total Time15 hours 55 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Bread, Breads, Side
Cuisine: French
Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 12 servings (1 large loaf)
Author: Mark Beahm

Ingredients

For the Poolish

  • 1 cup bread flour (120g)
  • 1/8 teaspoon instant yeast
  • 1/2 cup water (120ml)

For the Fougasse

Instructions

  • Make the poolish. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, yeast, and water. Cover the bowl and let it sit at room temperature overnight, or 12 to 16 hours. The poolish will be bubbly and should have at least doubled in size.
  • Make the dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment, add all of the poolish, bread flour, whole wheat flour, water, yeast, olive oil, and salt. Mix on low speed until no dry streaks of flour remain. Then, knead the dough on medium speed (speed 2 on a KitchenAid mixer) for 5 minutes, until it becomes elastic and somewhat smooth.
  • First rise. Shape the dough into a taut ball. Grease a clean bowl lightly with olive oil and place the ball of dough in the bowl seam-side down. Cover and leave it in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour.
  • Lift and fold the dough. Wet your hands or coat them lightly with olive oil to prevent the dough from sticking. Grab a portion of dough at the top of the bowl. Gently stretch it upwards, and fold it over the center. Rotate the bowl 90 degrees and repeat until you’ve gone around the whole bowl, completing 4 folds. Flip the ball of dough so the seam side is underneath. Cover and leave it in a warm spot to rise for 1 hour longer.
  • Shape the dough. Place a 14x16-inch piece of parchment paper on a work surface. Lightly grease the parchment paper with olive oil. Turn the dough out onto the parchment paper and shape it into a triangle about 12 inches long by 6 inches wide at the base. Let it rise for 30 minutes
  • Slit the dough. Using a pizza wheel or a sharp knife, cut a slit down the center of the dough, stopping about 1 inch from each end. Then, make a few diagonal slits on each side of the center slit. Stretch each slit apart slightly, until they are about 2-inches wide, ensuring they stay separated after rising and baking. Let the dough rise for 30 minutes.
  • Get ready to bake. While the dough is rising, place a baking stone on the middle shelf, and preheat the oven to 425°F.
  • Bake the Fougasse. Using the parchment paper, carefully slide the fougasse onto a peel or the back of a sheet pan. Then, carefully slide the fougasse, along with the parchment paper, onto the baking stone. Bake the fougasse in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until it’s golden brown.

Notes

  • Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients, including the olive oil used in this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 125kcal | Carbohydrates: 22.9g | Protein: 4.2g | Fat: 1.8g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 196mg | Potassium: 55mg | Fiber: 1.5g | Sugar: 0.1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 6.7mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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