Rosemary Fougasse

This leaf-shaped loaf of rosemary fougasse only looks fancy. It’s easy to bake and is the perfect tear and share bread to serve your guests.

There’s a reason why the bread stall at our farmer’s market always has the longest line. Nothing beats a beautiful bakery loaf.

But sometimes I like to take matters into my own hands and actually bake bread in my kitchen.

The dough for this fougasse is as simple to make as pizza dough. And the shaping is fun without being too complicated.

It’s meant to be rustic, which is exactly how I like my baking no matter if it’s sweet or savory.

What is Fougasse?

If you aren’t familiar with this flatbread, fougasse hails from Provence in the south of France. With ingredients like flour, olive oil, and fresh herbs, it is often thought of as the French cousin of Italian focaccia.

The biggest difference is that fougasse is shaped and baked on a pan, and focaccia is baked nestled inside a pan with the dough going edge to edge. As a result, fougasse is chewier and focaccia is more pillowy.

The Ingredients

This is what you need to make 2 loaves:

• Water: Make sure the water is warm, but not steaming hot. If the water is too hot it will kill the yeast. Think of the water as lukewarm like what you would use to wash your hands.
• Yeast: Since the yeast dissolves in warm water, the recipe calls for active dry yeast.
• Sugar: The small amount of sugar in the recipe doesn’t sweeten the bread. Its purpose is to feed the yeast and encourage the dough to rise.
• Olive oil: The bread has olive oil in the dough, and it’s brushed with oil before it is baked in the oven.
• Bread flour: The majority of the flour in the recipe is bread flour.
• Whole wheat flour: Not only does whole wheat flour add whole grains, it also gives the bread more flavor
• Kosher salt: Even dough needs to be seasoned with salt. I mix it in with the flours and rosemary.
• Rosemary: It’s best to use fresh rosemary rather than dried.
• Sea Salt: After the loaves are brushed with olive oil, they are topped with flaky sea salt for crunch and taste.

How To Make The Dough

1. Combine the warm water, yeast, sugar and olive oil in a small bowl. Give it about 5 minutes and the yeast will turn foamy.
2. Stir together the bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt and chopped rosemary in a large bowl.
3. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir into a shaggy dough.
4. Knead the dough on a lightly floured work surface for 10 minutes. The dough will become smooth and elastic.
5. Shape the dough into a ball. Transfer it to an oiled oil and cover.
6. Let the dough rise until it has doubled in size, about 2 hours.

How To Shape and Bake The Dough

1. One the dough has finished rising, divide it in half.
2. Roll the dough into 2 ovals, each about 12 inches long and 8 inches at the widest point.
3. Place each oval on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan.
4. Use a pizza roller or sharp knife to cut 2 slashes down the center of the ovals without splitting them in half. Pull open the slits.
5. Cut shorter diagonal slashes on both sides of the center cuts. Again pull open those slits.
6. Make small slashes around the outside of the ovals between the diagonal slashes.
7. Cover the dough and let it rise and puff up for 30 minutes.
8. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
9. Brush the dough with olive oil and season with flaky sea salt.
10. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.
11. Sprinkle with the remaining chopped rosemary in the last few minutes of baking.

Serving The Bread

The shape really lends itself to sharing because it is so easy to rip off in a small hunk and dip right into olive oil.

You can serve the bread as an appetizer or wait and present with the main course—more spectacular than a regular breadbasket.

Flavor Variations

Fresh rosemary is my go-to, but there are other ways to flavor your bread:

• Parmesan: Sprinkle on finely grated Parmesan in the last few minutes of baking.
• Olives: Knead 1/3-1/2 cup roughly chopped pitted Kalamata or green olives into the dough.
• Roasted tomatoes: Knead 1/3-1/2 cup roughly chopped marinated roasted tomatoes into the dough. These are the jarred tomatoes for antipasti. Make sure to pat off the oil with a towel too.
• Everything seasoning: Is it traditional? No! Is it delicious? Yes! Everything on everything. Period.

Try These Other Bread Recipes

Salt & Pepper Biscuits
Everything Oatmeal Knots
Pear Blue Cheese Onion Focaccia
Pull-Apart Bread
Rosemary Olive Knots
Whole Wheat Focaccia

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE STEP-BY-STEP WEB STORY INSTRUCTIONS FOR THIS RECIPE!

Rosemary Fougasse

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 30-35 minutes
• Yield: 2 loaves 1x
• Category: Bread
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: French
• Diet: Vegan

This leaf-shaped loaf of rosemary fougasse only looks fancy. It’s easy to bake and is the perfect tear and share bread to serve your guests.

Ingredients

• 1–1/3 cups warm water
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil plus more for oiling bowl and brushing bread
• 2 cups bread flour plus more for work surface
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, combine the water, yeast, sugar and olive oil. Let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a large bowl, combine the bread flour, whole wheat flour, salt and 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary. Stir in the wet ingredients until it forms a shaggy dough.
2. Turn out the dough on a lightly floured work surface and knead until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.
3. Shape the dough into a ball. Transfer to a bowl greased with olive oil. Cover and let rise until doubled in volume, about 2 hours.
4. Divide the dough in half.
5. On a work surface dusted with flour, roll out the dough into 2 ovals about 12 inches long and 8 inches at the widest point.
6. Place each oval on a parchment paper-lined sheet pan. Using a pizza wheel, cut two slits down the length of the center of the oval without splitting it in half. Pull them open slightly.
7. Then make shorter diagonal slashes on either side of the center slits. And again gently pull them open.
8. Make small cuts around the outside of the oval between the diagonal slashes.
9. Cover the dough and let it rise and puff up for 30 minutes.
10. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
11. Brush the dough with olive oil and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
12. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown. In the last few minutes of baking, sprinkle the loaves with the remaining rosemary.

• Author: Paige Adams
• Prep Time: 2 hours 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours 30-35 minutes
• Yield: 2 loaves 1x
• Category: Bread
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: French
• Diet: Vegan

Keywords: fougasse, fougasse bread