Fougasse (Updated - v2)

 

Attention! The sponge should be prepared the day before.
In total it takes 26-27 hours to make the bread, but that is mainly waiting and letting the dough work. 😉

Fougasse, the flat bread from the Provence 😊
It is, so to speak, the French counterpart to the Italian focaccia, both of which in turn go back to the ancient Roman flatbread panis focacius.

One flatbreat for 2 persons
The doubled quantity for a large fougasse for 4 people also still fits very well on a baking tray

Ingredients for the sponge Step 1: 5 g yeast, 50 g flour and 65 mL tepid water Step 2: 50 g flour and 45 mL tepid water Ingredients for the dough 185 g flour 1/2 tsp. salt 45 mL tepid water 2 Tbsp. olive oil To apply before baking: Mix 1 Tbsp. olive oil and nearly 1 tsp. Herbs de Provence. Also needed: Fleur de Sel.
Preparation of the sponge (start the day before!) In a large bowl (take the one of the kitchen machine), dissolve 5 g yeast in 65 mL tepid water, stir with a spoon, until everything is well mixed. Add 50 g flour. Don't be surprised the 'dough' is pretty liquid. Cover the bowl with a cloth and keep it for 12 hours at a warm place. Then add another 45 mL tepid water and 50 g flour. Again mix well, and keep it for another 12 hours at a warm place.
Preparation of the bread (around 2 hours before eating) On the second day, dilute the pre-dough with 45 mL lukewarm water and add 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, mix well. Then add approx. 185 g flour and knead for approx. 7-10 minutes. Put the dough back in a warm place for an hour. Then remove from the pot and, on a lightly floured work surface, shape into a rough sheet approx. 1 cm thick with your hands. Put the dough on a greased baking sheet and cut slashes into the 'leaf' (easily done with a pizza wheel). It should look like the veins in a leaf (see photo). Important: Pull the slashes a bit apart, to a width of around 2 centimetres, so that the don't close again while baking. As a last step, brush the dough with the olive oil/herb mix (1 Tbsp. oil, nearly 1 tsp. herbes de provence) and sprinkle with a good deal of Fleur de Sel. If you want, you can cover the dough with a cloth and let it sit for 30 minutes. Finally bake the bread (middle rack) at 230℃ for around 15 minutes. The bread tastes best when it's still warm from the oven.