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February 2010
Provençal Flat Yeast Bread
Fouace
photo by France Ruffenach
Provençal Fouace,
also called fougasse, is closely related to Italian
focaccia. Both are flat breads, often flavored with such
Mediterranean ingredients as chopped olives, garlic, herbs,
grated citrus zest, or sun-dried tomatoes, and the dough for
both is laced with nearly double the usual amount of yeast, so
it rises rapidly, giving the bread an open, airy texture.
Fouace is found in many shapes, too, including rounds, ovals,
rectangles, wheels slashed with spokes, and this rustic leaf
design.
Serves 4
- 1
tablespoon/10 g dry yeast
- ½ cup/125 ml
lukewarm water
- 2 ¾ cups/330
g flour, more if needed
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon
salt
- 2 teaspoons
sugar
- 2
tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup/50 g
chopped pitted brined black or green olives, 2 tablespoons
chopped fresh thyme or rosemary, or grated zest of 1 orange
or 2 lemons
- 2 garlic
cloves, chopped (optional)
- 1 egg mixed
with ½ teaspoon salt, for glaze
Sprinkle the
yeast over half of the water in a small bowl. Sift the flour
onto a work surface. Sprinkle ¼ cup/60 g of this flour over the
yeast and work with your hand to make a soft, sticky paste.
Leave this starter in a warm place until it starts to rise and
bubble, 15 to 20 minutes.
Make a large well
in the center of the sifted flour. Add the yeast starter, the
remaining water, eggs, salt, sugar, oil, olives, and the garlic,
if using, to the well. Briefly mix the central ingredients with
your fingers, then draw in the flour using a pastry scraper.
Work the ingredients with your hand to a rough dough and press
it into a ball, adding more flour if it is very sticky. Flour
the work surface and knead the dough until smooth and elastic, 5
to 7 minutes. Alternatively, mix and knead the dough in a stand
mixer fitted with the dough hook. Transfer the dough to an oiled
bowl, turn it to coat the top with oil, and cover the bowl with
a damp cloth. Leave to rise in a warm place until doubled in
bulk, about 1 hour.
Punch down the
dough to knock out the air. Flour a baking sheet and turn the
dough out onto it. With a floured fist, press it out to an oval
about ¾ inch/2 cm thick. With a knife, make diagonal slits like
the veins on a leaf, and pull the slits apart with your fingers.
Leave to rise in a warm place until nearly doubled, 15 to 25
minutes. Heat the oven to 400ºF/200ºC.
Brush the bread
with the egg glaze and bake until golden brown, 15 to 18
minutes. Serve the bread while still warm, leaving guests to
break it into pieces at the table.
Excerpted from THE COUNTRY COOKING OF FRANCE
by Anne Willan, Chronicle Books, 2007.
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