Easy Fougasse Recipe
French fougasse is so delicious, with its crusty exterior and soft, chewy center. Flavored with herbs, olive oil, and flaky salt.
Fougasse is definitely up there as one of the most artistic breads. It’s a French flatbread that originates from the Provence region of France. Historically, fougasse was used to test the temperature of the wood-fired oven: if the bread baked properly, it signaled that the oven was ready for the rest of the baking.
Traditionally, it is shaped to resemble an ear of wheat. However, it is also often cut with a leaf design, which is how I cut mine. The slits allow the bread to bake quickly and create a great combination of crispy crust and soft interior. This is like the French cousin of Italian focaccia, but with lots more of the crispy crust. It makes a great share bread for a dinner party cause people can just pull off portions. For another French bread, try a classic brioche!
Ingredients
You only need pantry staples for this bread, you can find the ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- All-purpose flour or bread flour. Either of these work.
- Instant or active dry yeast. Just check it hasn’t expired.
- Extra virgin olive oil is used for the dough and for brushing. You want a good olive oil for this recipe, because you’ll use a lot.
- Dried herbs de Provence – You can buy it pre-mixed or make your own. It uses a mixture of some or all these herbs, such as dried tarragon, thyme, parsley, rosemary, marjoram, and oregano.
- Fresh herbs for topping, like fresh rosemary or thyme. Optional, but it adds beautiful fresh flavor.
- Flaky sea salt for topping. A vital part!
Here’s how it’s done
- In a large bowl, combine the water and the yeast and stir.
- Add the flour, herbs, salt, and olive oil to the yeast mixture.
- Stir everything together with a fork or rubber spatula until it forms a shaggy and sticky dough.
- Give the dough a few sets of stretches and folds over the next 1 1/2 hours.
- Around 1 set every 30 minutes is what I aim for.
- Push the dough into a rectangle then cut into two pieces.
- Transfer the pieces to individual sheets of parchment paper.
- Make two small cuts in the top and bottom sections of the dough.
- Then make 3-4 diagonal cuts on either side and stretch them out to reveal a leaf shape. Let them puff out a bit.
- Brush the fougasse with oil before baking and again once out of the oven.
- Sprinkle with flaky salt and serve.
Storing
Store at room temperature for up to 2 days or freeze wrapped in plastic wrap or a freezer bag for up to 3 months.
Variations
Fougasse can easily be adapted to use loads of different flavors! This recipe makes a simple herby fougasse, but here are some variations you can try:
- Olive and Rosemary Fougasse: Add chopped Kalamata olives and a tablespoon of finely chopped fresh rosemary into the dough during mixing.
- Caramelized Onion and Bacon Fougasse: Add caramelized onions and 1/2 cup of cooked and chopped bacon into the dough. The sweetness of the onions pairs well with the salty bacon.
- Sun-Dried Tomato and Parmesan Fougasse: Mix 1/2 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan into the dough.
Easy Fougasse Recipe
Ingredients
- 240 g lukewarm water
- 1 teaspoon instant yeast
- 312 g all-purpose flour
- 1/2 Tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs de Provence or Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon salt
Topping
- 50 g extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh thyme or rosemary (optional) finely chopped
- Flaky salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, stir the water and the yeast. Add the flour, herbs, salt, and olive oil. Stir everything together with a fork or rubber spatula until it forms a shaggy and sticky dough.
- Over the next hour and a half, perform three sets of stretches and folds on the dough around every 30 minutes. A stretch and fold is when one side of the dough is stretched and pulled over. The bowl is then turned, and this move is repeated on the following side. Continue stretching, folding, and turning the bowl until all sides have been folded. That is one set of stretches and folds. Cover the dough with a lid or clean dish towel in between folds.
- Tip the dough onto a well-floured work surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour and use your fingertips to press it out to make a square gently.
- Use a dough scraper or sharp knife to cut the dough in half. Place each half on a piece of parchment paper.
- Lay one piece of dough vertically in front of you. Use the short side of the dough scraper or a pizza wheel to make two small cuts in the top and bottom sections of the dough, but take care not to make the cuts meet. Stretch the dough out a little to expose the cuts.
- Then make 3-4 diagonal cuts on either side and stretch them out to reveal a leaf shape. Repeat with the second piece.
- Let the shaped dough rest for 30-45 minutes or until slightly puffy. Preheat the oven to 450°F / 230°C.
- In a small bowl, mix the olive oil and herbs. Gently brush the fougasse with half the olive oil and herb mixture. You might need to dab rather than brush, so not to deflate the dough.
- Bake one fougasse at a time in the oven for around 12 minutes until deep golden brown.
- Brush the baked fougasse with the remaining olive oil when it's baked. Sprinkle with flaky salt.
Hi Elien!
Thanks for this awesome recipe !
Everything was spot on .. I’m a long time chef and bread maker in the making haha!
The key for me was getting the temperature in my kitchen right for the bread to proof correctly
your recipe was spot on! The stretch and fold technique is superb .. (for anyone reading; be sure to do about 4-5 folds each half hour)
This is a lovely bread I shared with my dear brothers and sisters and it was a hit!
Wasn’t quite as gorgeous as yours but super great nonetheless
I served it with anti-pasta of my mom’s marinated peppers recipe with a lovely pistachio pesto and creamy crumbled vegan feta with imported Sicilian oregano!!
This pillowy platform of your delicious bread recipe was the best compliment… 🙂
Much love and thanks
Chef Jw
So easy to make and so good! Would like to have the exact measurements for the add-ins, especially the olive version as I plan to make this again again!
Hey Anastasia! So happy you loved it! I would use around 1/2 cup of chopped kalamata olives in the dough but you can add more or less according to your own preference! Give the olives a squeeze to remove the excess brine before adding them in.