Fougasse – the flatbread from Provence
A simple wheat dough, cut like a leaf
The fougasse is a French bread from the Provence region, which is shaped flat and cut so that several «branches» form. Originally it was a «baking test» used by bakers to check the correct temperature of their ovens before baking the actual bread. This is how the fougasse also became the morning meal of the bakery staff.
There are many different variations of fougasse, lightly sweetened or with onions, olives, anchovies or bacon. The dough, however, always consists of wheat flour and baking yeast and is brushed with olive oil.
For the French, the fougasse is what the focaccia is for the Italians – where it comes from, what distinguishes it from focaccia and which variations exist in Provence, you can read in our article Fougasse: origin, variations and the difference from focaccia. I wish you lots of fun baking it!
Ingredients
DECORATION OF YOUR CHOICE
Step by step
Bread dough
Mix the ingredients – salt goes in last
Put all the ingredients except the salt into the Dough mixer. Mix the dough on speed 1 for about 4 minutes – this is the mixing phase. Add the salt during the last minute.
White flour, 1 kg
Wheat sourdough powder 500 g
Häussler Dough mixer NOVA Anthracite
Knead out until the windowpane test passes
Switch to speed 2 and knead the dough out for about 5 to 6 minutes – the kneading phase. Then do the windowpane test: gently stretch a piece of dough apart. If it tears, knead it a little longer.
Bulk proof: 30 minutes with three folds
Ideally, place the fully kneaded dough into a lightly oiled Proofing box or Bowl – sunflower oil works well – and cover it with a dough sheet. Now the dough rests for about 30 minutes at room temperature, and you fold it once every 10 minutes: press the dough from the outside into the centre and let it rest again. Repeat the whole thing three times.
Proofing box, 39 x 29 x 6 cm
Plastic dough sheets
Shaping
Dough portions: roll out three pieces of 350 g each into a triangle
After the 30 minutes, weigh out the dough into three equal pieces of 350 g each. Roll each piece out into a fougasse – the easiest way is to roll it out as a large triangle.
Metal horn
Rolling pin 28 cm
Final proof: 30 minutes – and preheat the oven
Place the finished shaped fougasses on a baking tray lined with baking paper and let them rest covered with a dough plastic for 30 minutes at room temperature. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 210 °C fan. Tip: With a bread baking stone and the steaming set, the fougasse becomes even crispier.
Plastic dough cloths
Adjustable perforated metal baking tray 40x35cm
Bread baking stone with pizza peel 40 x 30 x 2.5 cm
Steaming set
Scoring and baking
Scoring like a leaf
After the final proof, score the fougasse with a Baker's knife or a Pastry wheel – so that the pattern resembles a leaf with a central rib and side branches. Then gently pull the cuts apart with your fingers so they stay open during baking.
Baker's knife
Decorating and baking with steam
Now dust the fougasse either with flour or brush it with a little olive oil and sprinkle it with herbs – rosemary, for example – or with seeds and spices such as sesame, poppy seeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, linseed, chilli flakes and salt.
Slide the finished, decorated dough straight into the oven and create steam. Bake the fougasse for 10 minutes at 210 °C with steam, then turn the tray and finish baking it golden brown in a further 5 to 10 minutes. Fresh from the oven, it goes perfectly with a dinner of cold cuts and cheese – or as an apéro with a glass of wine.
Fougasse
Ingredients
Bread dough recipe
DECORATION OF YOUR CHOICE
Preparation
- Mix: Mix all ingredients except salt for 4 min. on speed 1, adding the salt in the last minute.
- Knead: Knead for 5–6 min. on speed 2 until the windowpane test holds.
- Bulk proof: 30 min. in the oiled proofing box, folding once every 10 min.
- Shape: Weigh out 3 pieces of 350 g each and roll each into a large triangle.
- Final proof: 30 min. covered on the tray, preheat the oven to 210 °C fan.
- Score: Cut in a leaf pattern and pull the cuts apart.
- Bake: 10 min. with steam, then turn the tray and finish baking for 5–10 min. until golden brown.
Nutritional values per 100 g
Storage & shelf life
Everything for this recipe
Recommended from our bakery — exactly the sizes the recipe was tested with.
Ingredients
White flour, 1 kg
Wheat sourdough powder 500 g
Bread spice 100 g
Accessories
Proofing box, 39 x 29 x 6 cm
Plastic dough cloths
Metal horn
Rolling pin 28 cm
Adjustable perforated metal baking tray 40x35cm
Steaming set
Baker's knife
Silicone brush, 20 cm
Delivery in 1–2 working days · Free shipping from CHF 100
A nice touch
Not needed for the recipe — but it fits.
Häussler Dough mixer NOVA Anthracite
Bread baking stone with Pizza peel 40 x 30 x 2.5 cm
So it turns out perfectly every time
The crispy crust comes not from the heat alone, but from the steam in the first few minutes. With the steaming set you get it reliably; without one, place a heatproof dish of hot water on the oven floor. Important: the steam has to be there when you load the loaf, not just five minutes later.
5 to 6 minutes is a guideline – every machine kneads differently. So gently pull a piece of dough apart: if it stretches into a thin, almost translucent film, the gluten structure is ready. If it tears before that, keep kneading.
A cut alone isn't enough: if you don't pull the incisions apart with your fingers, they'll close up again in the oven and the leaf pattern turns into a flatbread. Go ahead and open the slits generously – the dough will pull together again during baking anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Both descend from the Roman hearth bread: the focaccia from Italy is thicker and softer, the fougasse from Provence flatter and cut like a leaf. The full story – origins, regional variants and how the fougasse is served – is in our article Fougasse: origins, variants and the difference from focaccia.
It isn't necessary – the dough rises with the yeast alone. But the sourdough powder brings flavour and a finer crumb, and it keeps the bread fresh a little longer. If you leave it out, simply replace the 18 g with the same amount of flour.
While preheating, place a heatproof tray or a cast-iron pan on the oven floor and pour a cup of hot water into it as you load the loaf. Then close the oven door quickly. Alternatively, spray the fougasse and the oven walls with a plant mister – the effect is smaller, but much better than no steam at all.
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Related products
Metal horn
Silicone brush, 20 cm
Adjustable baking tray with perforation metal 40x35cm
Plastic dough towels
Baker's knife
White flour, 1 kg
Wheat sourdough powder 500 g
Bread baking stone with pizza shovel 40 x 30 x 2.5 cm
Bread spice 100 g
Fermentation box, 39 x 29 x 6 cm
Häussler dough kneading machine NOVA Anthracite
Rolling pin 28 cm
Vaporization set
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