Fougasse With Rosemary And Seeds Recipes

FOUGASSE WITH ROSEMARY AND SEEDS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, sprinkle yeast and sugar over warm water; let stand until creamy, about 5 minutes. In another bowl, whisk together both flours and kosher salt. Add flour mixture and oil to yeast mixture, stirring until a wet, ragged dough forms. Transfer to a floured work surface; knead with floured hands until dough is smooth, elastic, and tacky but no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl lightly brushed with oil; loosely cover with a towel. Let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or refrigerate up to 2 days.
• Preheat a wood-burning or regular oven to 500 degrees. (If using a regular oven, set rack in lowest position and line with a pizza stone or metal baking sheet.) Punch down dough; divide in half. Transfer each half to a sheet of parchment (at least 15 inches long) lightly dusted with flour. Roll out each to an approximately 13-by-7-inch oval. With a baker's blade or the tip of a knife, and starting 1 1/2 inches below top of each oval, make a 10-inch vertical slash in each dough until you reach 1 1/2 inches from bottom. Make 1 1/2-inch-long diagonal slashes, about 1 inch apart, on each side of vertical slashes. Make 1/2-inch-long diagonal slashes along edges, if desired. Pull edges of each dough outward slightly to open slashes. Loosely cover; let stand in a warm place until doubled in volume, 30 to 40 minutes. Whisk together egg yolks and milk. Brush doughs with egg wash; sprinkle evenly with rosemary, sesame and nigella seeds, and flaky salt.
• Transfer 1 dough on parchment to oven (on pizza stone, if using). Bake until puffed and golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Repeat with second dough. Fougasse is best served the same day, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 day.

FOUGASSE WITH PROVENCAL HERBS

Steps:

• Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into large bowl; sprinkle yeast over. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence and sea salt, then 2 tablespoons oil until well blended. Mix in enough flour, 1 cup at a time, to form thick and slightly sticky dough.
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Form into ball. Oil large bowl. Add dough; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then towel. Let rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in top third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Sprinkle 2 baking sheets generously with cornmeal. Punch dough down. Turn out onto floured surface; divide in half. Press out each half to 11x8-inch irregularly shaped oval. Transfer to prepared baking sheets. Brush each oval with 1 tablespoon oil. Sprinkle each with 1 1/2 teaspoons herbes de Provence. Using sharp knife, make several 2-inch-long cuts in each oval (do not cut through edges), spacing cuts evenly apart and cutting through dough to work surface. Pull dough apart at cuts to create openings. Cover loosely with plastic; let rise in warm draft-free area until slightly puffed, about 20 minutes.
• Place dough in oven. Immediately pour about 1/4 cup water onto bottom of oven, creating steam. Bake breads until golden on top and slightly crisp on bottom, switching sheets between racks and turning front of each sheet to back of oven halfway through baking, about 18 minutes. Transfer sheets to racks; cool breads 10 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ROSEMARY FOUGASSE

Steps:

• Mix the dough according to the instructions given in the recipe.
• After the dough has taken its first rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (or overnight) it can be shaped into a fougasse. Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and pat it into a long narrow rectangle. Sprinkle a layer of chopped rosemary over the surface of the dough being careful to cover the edges too. Fold the dough in thirds like a business letter, the top third over the middle of the dough, then the bottom third over that, completely overlapping the two. Press the 3 open sides of the fougasse tightly shut. Cover the bread well with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.
• Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Place a baking stone in the oven to preheat and position an oven rack just below the stone.
• Sprinkle a peel or upsidedown baking sheet generously with cornmeal and place the fougasse on top, stretching it slightly to make it into a square. Cut a decorative pattern, such as a leaf or a ladder, into the dough with a dough cutter. Spread and stretch the loaf until the cuts form large openings.
• Be sure the fougasse is loosened from the peel, then carefully slide it onto the baking stone. Using a plant sprayer, quickly mist the bread with water 8 to 10 times, then quickly shut oven door. Mist again after 1 minute. Then mist again 1 minute later.
• Bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 450 degrees and bake 15 minutes longer or until the loaf sounds slightly hollow when tapped on the bottom and the crust is a medium to dark brown. (If the crust is not brown enough, the bread will soften as it cools.) Transfer the bread to a rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.