Fougasse is Focaccia’s French cousin from Provence, but instead of fluffy squares with lots of olive oil, it is crusty and chewy and known for its unique shape. The shapes vary from those resembling a stalk of wheat to those looking like a ladder.
According to Joan Nathan, Fougasse has an interesting Jewish history in France where the Jews made the ladder bread special for the holiday of Shavuot. Although it was usually made with oil on this holiday which is usually celebrated with dairy foods the Jews used milk in the bread and often added candied cherries or candied orange peel. Ladders to heaven are a common metaphor for holiday breads in Judaism and this bread fits the bill.
It’s a versatile bread, you can make it plain or add any of your favorite bread additions such as olives or sun dried tomatoes. You can also top it with herbs de Provence or even everything seasoning.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sourdough starter bubbly and active
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons water room temperature
- 2 3/4 cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Cornmeal for coating pan
Nutritional Facts
Instructions
- The day before baking in the evening around 9pm mix the starter, water, flour, and salt. Once combined, cover with a damp towel and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
- After resting, work the dough into a smooth ball. If you add anything like olives, add them now, then cover again and let sit on the counter until it has doubled in size, about 10 hours.
- In the morning the dough should be nice and bubbly, line a sheet pan with parchment paper and sprinkle generously with cornmeal. Flip the dough onto the sheet pan and let rest for 10 minutes. Gently flatten into a 10-inch oval or rectangle.
- Cover with a damp towel and let rest until puffy, about 1 hour. (if you are not ready to bake, you can place in the fridge for a few hours and simply return to room temp before baking).
- Preheat oven to 450℉.
- To make a ladder design using a knife or pizza wheel make 2-4 diagonal cuts into the dough starting from the top working down. After cutting gently stretch the cuts open to ensure they don’t seal back together during baking.
- Brush the bread with olive oil or water and sprinkle over some everything seasoning or herbs de provence.
- Place pan in oven with a spritz of water. Baked for 25-30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for at least 10 minutes.
