Go Back
–+ servings
Print
One Fougasse bread on a white board close up showing the add ins and the golden bread shaped like a leaf

Fougasse

Fougasse is a classic French bread from the south area of Provence. It's classically a flatbread which is usually flavored and studded with add-ins.

Course Bread
Cuisine French, Mediterranean
Keyword bread, bread baking, bread recipes, fougasse, fougasse bread, how to bake bread
Prep Time 18 hours
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 2 loaves
Calories 980 kcal
Author Mahy

Ingredients

Starter

  • 1 cup Flour
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1/8 teaspoon Yeast dry yeast or instant yeast.

Dough

  • 1 cup water
  • 2 1/2 cups Flour Plus or Minus 1/4cup
  • 2 teaspoon Yeast Instant Yeast
  • 1 teaspoon Salt
  • 2 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Add-ins

  • 1/4 cup olives
  • 3 Tablespoons sun dried tomatoes
  • 3 sprigs Rosemary
  • 1/4 cup Cranberries

Instructions

  1. Mix the starter ingredients in a bowl.

    The starter being mixed in a bowl of the kitchen machine
  2. Cover with the bowl lid and let rest overnight.
    The starter in a bowl the next morning showing it poofed and activated to make the fougasse dough
  3. The next day, add the dough ingredients, mix and then switch to the dough hook.
    Ingredients in small bowls on a wooden board include bowl of flour, teaspoon of yeast, salt and olive oil in a bowl along with a bowl of cranberries, fresh rosemary, a bowl of olives, some walnuts in a bowl and sun dried tomatoes in a bowl
  4. Knead the dough for 6 minutes at speed 4.
  5. Once the dough is kneaded, add the add-ins.
    Next day dough ingredients added to the kitchen machine to for, the fougasse dough
  6. Knead until the dough forms a ball shape, yet slightly sticky to the touch when you touch it with your hands.
  7. Oil the bowl, and let the dough rest for 2 hours, covered with the lid.
    Fougasse dough doubled in size after rising and ready to be shaped
  8. Remove from the bowl onto a floured surface and cut into two.
    Fougasse dough divided into two halves on a wooden board
  9. Shape each hand into an oval shape 9-10 inch long and 6 inch wide.
    A slit is made along the middle of the oval shape leaving 1 inch border on both ends
  10. Use a sharp knife to make a long slit along the length of the oval in the middle, leaving a 1 inch border at the top and bottom.
    The knife making diagonal slits on both sides of the dough to create the classic leaf shape
  11. Then make 3-4 diagonal slits on an angle to look like the leaf shape, also leaving 1 inch borders.
    Tip: A hand opening the slits gently made ont he dough to make sure they remain slits and not seal as the dough rises again.
  12. Use your fingers to open. Up the slits slightly.
    The two fougasse breads on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap and ready for the second rise before baking
  13. Cover the dough and rest for 1 hour.
    Close up of the bread right out of the oven
  14. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees
  15. Bake the fougasse for 20-25 minutes until golden on the outside and cooked through.
  16. Serve with honey, blue cheese and fruits.
    A hand drizzling honey on a loaf of fougasse bread over a cheese board
  17. ENJOY

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Fougasse Bread Tips 

  1. Plan ahead too make this recipe as the starter needs to be made one day in advance. 
  2. While you can make the dough skipping the starter, it's highly recommended to make it as it adds impeccable flavor to the bread. 
  3. You don't need a machine or to knead the starter ingredients, rather you just to have them mixed up together. It doesn't have the consistency of a dough, it's far more liquidy.
  4. The next day, proceed with the dough when you're ready to spare the time for rising and shaping the bread.
  5. The final dough will have a definite ball shape and will require kneading. For the record I have an Ankarsrum Kitchen machine and I LOVE everything about it. It has replaced all my other kitchen machines in a snap!
  6. The dough as well defined and kneaded as it is, it will still feel slightly sticky when touched by hand.
  7. Make sure to follow the shaping instructions above and ALWAYS leave an inch border when making any slits along the dough.
  8. ALWAYS remember that as the dough rises, the slits you make can close and disappear. So in order to maintain the shape of the bread, use your fingers to open up the slits after making them.
  9. You can bake the bread with steam for a crisper crust.
  10. Store leftover Fougasse in the freezer for up 3 months, thaw and reheat in a 35o degree oven for 10 minutes. Or in the fridge and reheat the same way.
Nutrition Facts
Fougasse
Amount Per Serving
Calories 980 Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Polyunsaturated Fat 3g
Monounsaturated Fat 12g
Sodium 1452mg63%
Potassium 540mg15%
Carbohydrates 175g58%
Fiber 9g38%
Sugar 4g4%
Protein 25g50%
Vitamin A 139IU3%
Vitamin C 5mg6%
Calcium 60mg6%
Iron 11mg61%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.