ROSEMARY FOUGASSE MADE WITH HEIRLOOM GRAIN

Rosemary Fougasse made with Heirloom Grain image

Fougasse is easily one of my very favorite breads. I first fell in love with it back in my bakery days in Maine. Customers often assumed fougasse was Italian and would affect a New York Italian-American accent when ordering it. They were surprised to learn that fougasse actually hails from the south of France. Its striking yet delicate leaf pattern makes fougasse a beautiful and unique bread, and the combined flavors of olive oil, rosemary and salt make it unbelievably delicious. You can certainly slice the loaves, but it is much more fun (and authentic) to tear off pieces - the perfect way to break bread with family and friends. As fougasse has so much surface area, it is best eaten fresh as it will become a bit stale overnight, although we gobble it up so quickly at our house it never has a chance to stale!

Provided by Liza Saturley

Categories Recipes

Time 2h45m

Yield 2 10-inch loaves

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

For the Fougasse:
4 c. (500g) Organic Red Fife Wheat Flour , sifted
2 tsp. (7g) Bioreal Organic Yeast or Active Dry Yeast
2 tsp. (11g) Fine Sea Salt
1 tsp. (5g) Cane Sugar
1½ (350mL) Filtered Water, warm
2 TBS. (20mL) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 TBS. (7g) Chopped Rosemary Sprigs, or Dried Rosemary
For the Topping:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Chopped Rosemary Sprigs or Dried Rosemary, to taste
Coarse Sea Salt, to taste

Steps:

To make the dough:
Sift flour to remove the majority of its bran and combine flour with yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl .
In a medium bowl, combine water and olive oil.
Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour liquid ingredients in all at once. Mix quickly. A Danish Dough Whisk makes great job of it.
Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth.
Place dough back into the large bowl, cover with a bowl cover and let rest 1-2 hours, or until nearly doubled in volume.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead in the 2 TBS of Rosemary until well incorporated.
To shape the dough:
Cut the dough into two equal pieces. Set one aside, and shape the other into a large circle using your hands and/or a rolling pin , about one-half inch thick. Place onto a parchment paper -lined baking sheet . Using a sharp knife, cut slits in the circle of dough to make a leaf shape (see photo) as follows: one slit at the top center; three evenly spaced on either side of it; one larger one in the center; and make two triangular cuts at the bottom. Gently pull the slits apart to create openings and cover with a clean kitchen towel . Repeat with second portion of dough.
To bake:
Preheat the oven to 465°F (240°C). Allow loaves to rise for about 20 minutes, then bake for 13-15 minutes. Remove from oven when golden brown.
While still hot, brush or spray the tops of the baked loaves with olive oil, then sprinkle with rosemary and salt. Place on a cooling rack and allow to cool completely.