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Fougasse (French-Style Flatbread)
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Prep Time:
45 minutes
45 minutes
Cook Time:
40 minutes
40 minutes
Total Time:
1015 minutes
1015 minutes
Try Chef John's stunning fougasse, a beautiful French bread cousin to focaccia.
Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, plus more for brushing
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 0.333 cup spelt flour
- 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1.5 cups water, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornmeal, or as needed
- coarse sea salt to taste
Instructions:
- Assemble all your ingredients.
- Coat a spacious bowl generously with fragrant olive oil.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with a dough hook, mix all-purpose flour, spelt flour, yeast, and kosher salt. Pour in water and knead until dough is smooth, elastic, wet, and sticky, around 5 minutes. Move the dough to a bowl, cover it, and allow it to rise on the counter for 30 minutes.
- Uncover the dough. Wet your hand and gently fold one side of the dough towards the center. Repeat this folding motion 6 or 7 times, turning the bowl slightly after each fold. Cover and let it rest for 30 minutes.
- Rest the dough for an additional 2 hours, repeating the process twice. In total, the dough will have rested for a duration of 2 hours.
- Perform another round of the folding technique. Chill in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours. Then, bake the Fougasse.
- Prepare the lined sheet pan with a dusting of flour using a silicone liner before baking.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and shape it into an oval, dusting with flour as needed. Then, divide the oval in half lengthwise to create two equal portions.
- Shape the fougasse dough by folding one end over the center third, then fold the other end over the top to create a triangular shape. Transfer each piece of dough to the prepared pan.
- Place a piece of oiled plastic wrap over both triangles and allow the dough to warm up for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Prepare two baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper and generously sprinkling cornmeal on top. Unwrap the dough, removing the plastic cover.
- Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Gently sprinkle some flour over it and use a rolling pin and your hands to stretch it into a ½- to ¾-inch thick triangle. Sprinkle rosemary on top and press it into the dough before moving it to a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Cut through the dough in a vertical line up the center of the triangle using a pizza wheel, ensuring not to cut through the top and bottom edges. Gently pull the dough apart to spread open the cut.
- Create two additional cuts at the top, one on each side starting from the center and moving towards the edge, being careful not to slice through the edges. Gently tug the dough to expand it. Proceed by making four more cuts - two in the middle and two at the bottom, then pull the dough apart. Add two more small cuts at the bottom. You should end up with one lengthy cut in the center and four on each side, shaping the fougasse like a leaf. Cover the dough with oiled plastic wrap and allow it to proof for 30 to 60 minutes.
- Continue with shaping and proofing the rest of the dough as instructed in Steps 6 to 8.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) while unwrapping one fougasse. Brush the entire surface with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt for a delicious finish.
- Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, approximately 20 minutes.
- Place the fougasse on a cooling rack to cool. Once cooled, bake the remaining fougasse following Steps 11 and 12.
- Indulge in the delicious flavors.