First, today is the first of the month, so there’s a new micro-mini story on my Hot Flashes page.
They made this flatbread on The Great British Baking Show, and it looked like something I could manage, so I made some.
I have an actual recipe, a combination of two I found on the internet, what I could gather from what they did on the show, and my own.
I made the dough.
Shaped it.
And baked it on the backs of my jelly roll pans, since I don’t have any baking sheets.
Came out pretty good, I think. I made one big one to share with #4 Daughter when she came later that day, and two to give away.
And now, something you rarely see on this blog: An actual recipe.
Fougasse Bread
- 1 red onion (thinly sliced)
- 3/4 cup white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 cups/500 grams bread flour
- 1/2 ounce/10 grams fresh yeast (or 1 teaspoon dried fast acting yeast)
- 1 1/2 cups/350 grams water (lukewarm)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- fresh herbs, chopped
- shredded cheese
- chopped olives
Put the onions into the vinegar/salt/sugar while you make the dough.
Mix flour, yeast, and herbs. Keep some herbs aside, if you like, to sprinkle on top.
Add the water and the salt and mix thoroughly.
Put oil onto a flat surface and knead the dough on it until it’s soft and pliable. Add more oil if it’s sticky. Put the dough into an oiled bowl. Cover the bowl and let the dough double in size (about an hour).
Heat the oven to 475 F/240 C/Gas 9.
Put the dough onto an oiled surface. Turn the dough over to oil the other side and cut the dough in two, three, four, or however many pieces, depending on how small you want the fougasse. I cut mine in half, and halved one half, so I had one large and two small fougasse.
Roll the dough out enough that you can plop on some olives and cheese, then fold the dough over it so the olives and cheese are well inside.
Roll the dough into sort of a triangular leaf shape.
Using a very sharp knife, cut two sequential slits down the middle of the dough and six slanted lines on each side. Think the spine and veins of a leaf.
Using your fingers, open out the slits, as much as you dare to.
If you don’t have baking sheets (I don’t), turn jelly roll pans upside down (I did). Cover the baking surface with parchment paper. Put the fougasse on carefully, stretching it gently into the leaf shape.
Chop some pickled onions and sprinkle them on the surface of the fougasse, along with reserved herbs.
Place into the preheated oven. Bake for 25-30 minutess until golden brown, checking after 10, if your loaves are thin.
NOTE: One of my recipients is a vegan, so I left the cheese out of hers.
A WRITING PROMPT FROM ME TO YOU: A fougasse is supposed to resemble a leaf or an ear of wheat. Write about a leaf or about wheat. Or about an ear.
MA
RAAckerman@Cerebrations.biz
September 1, 2020 at 3:09pmVery interesting. Too bad I don’t bake.
Marian Allen
September 2, 2020 at 10:38amI’m not surprised you don’t, since you steer pretty clear of carbs. If you did bake, though, you would do it awesomely! I keep thinking I’ll try baking with alternative “flour”, but I haven’t done much of it yet. Made some ladoo with chickpea flour once, and that came out well. So….
circadianreflections
September 1, 2020 at 4:14pmThat looks yummy and pretty easy to do. I’m not sure I’d give away two. Maybe just one and have the other another day if they came out really good. 😀
My baking sheets look very similar to you jelly roll pans. Brilliant thinking just turning yours over!
Marian Allen
September 2, 2020 at 10:40amThe one was a pretty good size, though, so giving the two little ones away was a good call.
I actually made a jelly roll once, but I generally just use those as baking sheets. I wonder if it makes a difference in the bake, since the rim would change the circulation of the heat. Hmmm….
Ally Bean
September 2, 2020 at 9:53amMy story following your prompt:
While walking down the country lane by the wheat fields, Geraldine looked down at what appeared to be a leaf. Horrified, she realized her mistake. She was looking at a human ear and a trail of blood drops that lead into the wheat fields.
Marian Allen
September 2, 2020 at 10:41amGeez-o-Pete, Mrs. Bean! Go dark, why doncha? Great little story, lady! ~shudders in horrified delight~
Ally Bean
September 2, 2020 at 10:45amThought you’d like that!
acflory
September 3, 2020 at 7:49amOlives and cheese on/in bread are some of my favourite taste combinations, and these look delicious. Next shop I’ll get some olives and try and talk the Offspring into giving me a hand. 🙂
Marian Allen
September 3, 2020 at 9:14amIt’s easy-peasy!
acflory
September 3, 2020 at 6:41pmI still haven’t completely mastered bread dough yet so I’ll take /that/ ‘easy’ with a tiny grain of salt. I’m very good at making the dough hate me!
Marian Allen
September 4, 2020 at 10:38amThat’s perfect! When the dough hates you, you just beat the hell out of it and call it “kneading vigorously to break up the gluten strands so you achieve a perfect rise.”
acflory
September 4, 2020 at 8:03pmlmao – oh is /that/ what you call it? -falls on floor laughing-