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Fougasse aux olives
Olive and herb bread
Provence's leaf-shaped olive and herb bread (fougasso)
Bakers in Provence once slid a fougasse into the wood oven first, to test the heat before the big loaves went in; the open, leaf-like shape bakes in minutes and is mostly crust. Today every boulangerie from Avignon to Apt sells it, plain or studded with olives, and families tear it apart on picnics and at market lunches. A sweet cousin flavoured with orange blossom is one of the thirteen desserts of a Provençal Christmas. This is the savoury everyday one, with black olives and herbes de Provence. Chef's tip: bake it on the hottest tray you can, near the top of the oven, so the thin bridges of dough blister and crisp before the thick edges dry out.
- Total time
- 148 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the dough
- 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour
- ⅓ oz salt
- 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water
- 5 tbsp olive oil3 for the dough, 2 for brushing
Flavouring
- 2 ⅞ oz black olivespitted and halved
- 1 tsp herbes de Provence
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: Mix 1 ⅛ lb strong white bread flour, ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast and ⅓ oz salt in a large bowl, keeping the yeast and salt on opposite sides. Pour in 1 ¼ cups lukewarm water and 3 tbsp olive oil and stir into a shaggy dough.
Step 2: Knead on the worktop for 10 minutes, until the dough is smooth and springs back slowly when you press it. It will be soft; resist adding much flour.
10 minStep 3: Flatten the dough, scatter over 2 ⅞ oz black olives and 1 tsp herbes de Provence, fold it up and knead for another minute until they are evenly spread. Cover and leave in a warm place for about 1 hour, until doubled.
60 minStep 4: Heat the oven to 475°F (425°F fan) with two baking trays inside. Tip the dough out, divide it in two and press each piece on baking paper into an oval about 1.5 cm thick, slightly narrower at one end, like a leaf.
Step 5: With a sharp knife or dough scraper cut one long slit down the middle and three slanting slits on each side, cutting right through to the paper. Pull the dough outwards with your fingers to open each cut to 2–3 cm. Common mistake: leaving the slits narrow; they close up in the oven and the bread turns into a flat loaf.
Step 6: Cover loosely and leave for 20 minutes, until puffy. Brush with half the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp flaky sea salt.
20 minStep 7: Slide the loaves on their paper onto the hot trays and bake for 15–18 minutes, until deep golden and they sound hollow when tapped underneath.
18 minStep 8: Brush with the last of the 1 tbsp olive oil as they come out and cool on a rack for at least 15 minutes. Fougasse is best the day it is made; revive it the next day in a hot oven for 4 minutes.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 290 kcal
- Protein
- 8 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 8 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
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Good to know
- How long does fougasse aux olives take?
- About 148 minutes in total: 130 minutes to prepare and 18 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of strong white bread flour?
- Plain flour, same amount (the dough will be softer and rise a little less).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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