American
Sourdough Fougasse
Popular on Food52
20 Reviews
Rebelo
July 5, 2023
This is a wonderful recipe—clear and detailed, with a very tasty result. Thank you!
jane
September 27, 2022
Thank you for this recipe. It is so well-written and easy to follow. Mine came out a little funny looking but it was delicious. trying again.
Maurizio L.
September 27, 2022
You're very welcome, Jane. The good news is, even the funny ones still taste great 🙂 Enjoy.
Marisa
April 23, 2021
Hello, is it possible to refrigerate at some point so I can bake the fougasse the day?
Maurizio L.
April 23, 2021
You could put the dough into the fridge right before shaping it out with the rolling pin. I do this sometimes to help make rolling easier. The next day, let it warm a bit when pulling from the fridge, then proceed with scraping it out of the bowl and rolling it out to shape.
globug
November 29, 2020
Super curious if this could be done with a 100% einkorn mixture. I have successfully baked your Einkorn Boules that you have on your website. Would I need to change the method around at all considering the change in protein content?
Maurizio L.
November 30, 2020
I'd say it's possible, but I'd be cautious with the dough's hydration, likely going a bit lower. You won't get the same rise and airy structure given the nature of einkorn, but it sure would be delicious. I might first try a blend, perhaps 50/50 modern wheat flour and einkorn, and see how it goes. Adjusting from there!
globug
November 30, 2020
Thanks for the tips, I might give it a shot and see what happens. Fougasse is one of my favorite kinds of breads and if I can pull it off w/ an einkorn version, we’re in business! :)
Sara F.
November 27, 2020
Hi there, I follow you and your beautiful bakes! Can you please provide instructions using hands, I do not have a stand mixer. I bake no knead sourdough. Thank you!
Maurizio L.
November 27, 2020
Hey, Sara! This dough can definitely be mixed by hand. I'd add all the ingredients except the olive oil to a mixing bowl and strengthen the dough as you normally would, perhaps to medium development (I like to use the slap and fold technique, but any kneading will work). Then, add the olive oil in and mix by hand until the dough comes together and the OO is completely absorbed. If the dough feels super slack at the end of mixing, add in another set or two of stretch and folds during bulk fermentation as necessary.
Judy N.
November 14, 2020
As a follow-up: I think one issue may be that my starter is more liquid that yours.
That being said, I have what I think are 2 lovely fougasse that just came from the oven. I did need to put a bit of flour on my board when I first took the dough from the bowl and cut it in half. After that, it was easy to work with.
I will try this recipe again sometime using slightly less water to start. Depending on the ambient humidity, that may not be necessary, but it's easier to add it than fix it later.
That being said, I have what I think are 2 lovely fougasse that just came from the oven. I did need to put a bit of flour on my board when I first took the dough from the bowl and cut it in half. After that, it was easy to work with.
I will try this recipe again sometime using slightly less water to start. Depending on the ambient humidity, that may not be necessary, but it's easier to add it than fix it later.
Maurizio L.
November 15, 2020
So glad to hear they turned out great, Judy! No worries adding flour to your board, that's the way to go. I agree, I think a little less water will get you right in that sweet spot. Enjoy!
Judy N.
November 14, 2020
I am in the process of making this bread. I carefully weighed each ingredient and mixed as directed.
My dough was anything but stiff and it gathered a bit on my dough hook, but did not ball up. I forged on. After adding the oil, mixing again and letting it rest for 30 minutes, I did the stretch and fold...or pull and drop, as my dough is still very slack.
So, what went wrong? I will continue with the recipe, but I have a suspicion that shaping this into fougasse will require considerably more flour.
I will report back after it's baked!
My dough was anything but stiff and it gathered a bit on my dough hook, but did not ball up. I forged on. After adding the oil, mixing again and letting it rest for 30 minutes, I did the stretch and fold...or pull and drop, as my dough is still very slack.
So, what went wrong? I will continue with the recipe, but I have a suspicion that shaping this into fougasse will require considerably more flour.
I will report back after it's baked!
Maurizio L.
November 14, 2020
Hey, Judy! It's possible your dough needed less water upfront during mixing. To make shaping easier, be sure to leave the dough uncovered for the last 30 minutes or so of the proof (when it's in the pan). That should dry it out ever so slightly, making it easier to handle! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Judy N.
November 14, 2020
I really appreciate the speedy response. I was thinking about leaving it uncovered, so that is what I will do.
Thanks
Thanks
Pete M.
November 13, 2020
These are the craziest units I have ever seen in a recipe: 711g/544g/167g. Seriously? Why?
Maurizio L.
November 13, 2020
Hey, Pete! It's because I use baker's percentages to develop my bread formulas, as many bread bakers do. So, in the end, the weights are strange, but the percentages will usually be round numbers. With baker's percentages, the ingredients are always relative to the total flour in the recipe; this makes scaling recipes up and down very easy but ultimately results in strange numbers 🙂
Check out my post on baker's percentages for more explanation:
https://www.theperfectloaf.com/reference/introduction-to-bakers-percentages/
Check out my post on baker's percentages for more explanation:
https://www.theperfectloaf.com/reference/introduction-to-bakers-percentages/
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