Fougassi

This dark, savory, flat bread from southern France is wonderful as an appetizer with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping. I like to think of this bread as focaccia's French cousin. Fougassi is made from a blend of flours and contains cured meat and green herbs. For this batch I've chosen prosciutto and herbes de Provence for the dough and a rosemary/oregano blend for the topping. You can switch up these items to suit your own tastes. Use Italian, Moroccan or Greek seasonings. Experiment with different cured meats. This is an excellent bread to devise your own signature artisan loaf.

Let's look at our ingredients.

Makes four loaves

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Dough

%

Strong wheat flour 700 g 78

Fine rye flour (dark) 100 g 11

Whole wheat Flour 100 g 11

Water (90 to 100 *F) 650 g 72

Olive oil 50 g 5

Herbes de Provence 15 g 1.5

Prosciutto (finely diced) 75 g 8

Instant yeast 20 g 2

Sea salt 20 g 2

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Topping

Garlic cloves (large) 2 Olive oil 50g

Flakey salt, Oregano/rosemary to taste

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Using our "bread math" found at the end of the dinner rolls & more recipe, if you closely compare the liquid to flour of the fougassi dough to that of the white bread dough something interesting appears. The percentage of liquid to the total flour is 64% for the white bread. With the fougassi the total liquid (water + oil) to total flour (wheat, whole wheat and rye) is 77%. Why is there more moisture required for the fougassi? White bread flour becomes saturated with less liquid than other heavier flours like, rye, durum, whole grain and semolina. Where white bread will normally require 55 to 68% liquid to total flour weight (avg 60), breads like ciabatta, foccacia and fougassi required between 68 and 80% (avg 75). Knowing these ratios will help you get creative with your recipes.

Making the Dough

Put your strong wheat flour in your stand mixer bowl. Add the rye and whole wheat flours and whisk until well blended. While rapidly whisking your water, slowly add the yeast until completely dissolved in the water. Pour the water/yeast mixture over the flour and then add the herbes de Provence. Knead with a dough hook for 3 minutes on medium low until the ingredients come together and are no longer sticking to the sides of the bowl. Add the olive oil and knead for a further 10 minutes. Add the salt and increase the speed for another 6 to 8 minutes until the dough is very elastic and passes the window pane test (see dinner rolls & more).

Remove the dough and place on a lightly dusted counter. Flatten out the dough by hand and sprinkle some of the prosciutto on top. Press the meat into the dough and fold the dough over. Flatten it out again and repeat until the prosciutto is all well incorporated into the dough. Working with your hands like this also lets you feel its texture to know it has the right amount of flour and water. If it's to pastey, add a little flour and work it in. Likewise if it's too dry add a little water and work it in.

Shape the dough into a ball and place it seam down in a oiled lidded container (I use spray oil for the ease of it). After 30 minutes remove the dough and knock it down. That is, flatten it out with your hands removing as much gas as possible. Form it back into a ball and return it to the container and replace the lid. Leave it for another 30 minutes. While your dough is rising, you can prepare your topping.

Making the Topping

Crush the garlic cloves with a mortar and pestle until it becomes a paste. Place in a small bowl and add the olive oil. Mix the garlic into the oil. In a separate small bowl blend your green herbs (rosemary and oregano in this case).

Shaping, Topping, Proofing and Baking

When the dough is fully risen, turn it out on a flour surface and divide into four equal pieces. It is helpful to keep the weights of the containers you use handy for dividing your dough. Mine are on my refrigerator held by a magnet for easy reference. This container weighs 455 g. When I weighed it with the dough inside the weight was 2181 grams. Subtract the container weight and divide by four leaves 431 g per loaf. After using the dough cutter to eyeball four equal pieces, I weigh them and distribute the dough from the heavier to the lighter to make them equal. Form the pieces into balls, cover with a tea towel and let stand for five minutes.

Line two baking trays with parchment. Roll the the balls into ovals a little larger than a dinner plate and place them into the baking trays - two in each. Score them down the length in three places and widen the slits a little with your fingers. Make indentations between the scoring with your knuckle. Brush on the garlic oil and sprinkle the green herbs on top. Then sprinkle with flakey salt and let rise for 45 minutes or double in size.

Preheat your oven to 480 *F with the racks in the middle. Put the trays in and bake for 7 to 8 minutes then rotate the racks. Bake for another 5 to 8 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and transfer to wire racks to cool before serving.

This bread freezes very well in plastic bags or double wrapped in cling wrap. Remove from the freezer and bake for 10 to 15 minutes at 200 *F. It will be fresh as the day it was made. Enjoy!