2 h 40 min

Provençal Fougasse Trio

Name: Provençal Fougasse Trio
Prep time: 2 h 25 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 500.00 g French wheat flour; 10.00 g Salt; 10.00 g (or 20 g fresh yeast) Instant yeast; 300.00 ml Cold water; 50.00 ml Vallée des Baux-de-Provence Olive Oil PDO; 1.00 tbsp (finely chopped, into the dough) Nyons Black Olives PDO; Nyons Black Olives PDO; 1.00 tbsp Vallée des Baux-de-Provence Olive Oil PDO; 1.00 tsp Herbes de Provence Label Rouge; 2.00 tbsp, finely chopped (1 into the dough, 1 on top) Sun-dried tomatoes; 3.00 slices, each cut in half French goat cheese log; 2.00 tbsp (1 into the dough, 1 on top) French lardons; 30.00 g, grated Ossau-Iraty PDO

By La Cuisine de Géraldine , Food Blogger

Fougasse is a traditional French bread from Provence and a staple of French summer apéritifs. Often compared to Italian focaccia, fougasse is typically lighter and more rustic, with a thinner dough. Its most recognisable feature is its distinctive leaf shape, inspired by a head of wheat or an olive leaf. The dough is stretched by hand and slashed to create a pattern that opens up as it bakes, resulting in plenty of crunchy crust and an airy, flavourful crumb.

Traditionally, fougasse also had a practical purpose. Bakers would use it to test whether their wood-fired oven had reached the proper temperature before baking larger loaves of bread. Over time, it evolved into a speciality in its own right and is now commonly enriched with a variety of ingredients, including lardons, anchovies, olives, cheese and more. Depending on the recipe, these ingredients can either be incorporated into the dough or scattered over the surface before baking.

We're sharing three variations of fougasse, all made from the same olive oil-enriched dough. Try a classic Provençal combination of Nyons black olives and fragrant herbes de Provence, a Mediterranean-inspired topping of sun-dried tomatoes and creamy French goat cheese, or a richer version topped with smoky French lardons and grated Ossau-Iraty. Whether served warm from the oven or at room temperature, these fougasses are perfect for sharing at your next apéritif or enjoying as part of a relaxed summer meal.

Preparation time

2 h 25 min

Ingredients For

For the dough
French wheat flour 500 g
Salt 10 g
Instant yeast 10 g (or 20 g fresh yeast)
Cold water 300 ml
Vallée des Baux-de-Provence Olive Oil PDO

50 ml See the article
For the olive fougasse
Nyons Black Olives PDO

1 tbsp (finely chopped, into the dough) See the article
Nyons Black Olives PDO

a few whole, for the top See the article
Vallée des Baux-de-Provence Olive Oil PDO

1 tbsp See the article
Herbes de Provence Label Rouge

1 tsp See the article
For the sun-dried tomato & goat cheese fougasse
Sun-dried tomatoes 2 tbsp, finely chopped (1 into the dough, 1 on top)
French goat cheese log 3 slices, each cut in half
For the lardons & Ossau-Iraty fougasse
French lardons 2 tbsp (1 into the dough, 1 on top)
Ossau-Iraty PDO

30 g, grated See the article

Find French products near you

Preparation

MAKING THE DOUGH

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the flour, then the dry yeast, and mix. Add the salt and mix again. Pour in the cold water and olive oil in a thin stream, then knead at medium speed (level 2) until you have a smooth, supple dough that pulls away from the sides, about 8 to 10 minutes in total.
Divide the dough into three equal portions.
By hand, work the chopped olives into the first portion, the sun-dried tomatoes into the second, and the lardons into the third. Knead each ball briefly, just enough to distribute the filling without overworking the dough.
Cover the three portions with a clean, damp tea towel and let rise at room temperature until doubled in volume, about 1 to 1½ hours.

SHAPING AND TOPPING

Punch down each portion with your fist, then stretch it into an elongated triangle about 1.5 cm thick on an oiled baking sheet or one lined with parchment paper.
Slash each fougasse with two cuts down the centre and three diagonal cuts on each side to form a leaf shape. Open up the slits well with your fingers.
Scatter the extra olives over the first fougasse and the extra sun-dried tomatoes over the second, pressing them lightly into the dough with your fingers.
Let the fougasses rise at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes.

BAKING

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 240 °C.
Just before baking: brush the olive fougasse with the olive oil and herbes de Provence mixture; arrange the halved goat cheese slices on the sun-dried tomato fougasse; scatter the remaining lardons and the grated ossau-iraty over the lardon fougasse.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.