Fougasse aux olives

( Provençal olive bread )

Whilst fougasse aux olives is commonly found in Provence today in its distinctive wheat kernel shape, very much like the fabled pompe à l’huile, similar breads are found all around the Mediterranean basin, from Italy (focaccia) to the Balkans (pogaca). Fougasse is a very simple bread made using the direct method, with added oil, sugar or butter. Traditionally it was topped with vegetables or fruits and was made at the start of the night and thrown into the oven to assess the accuracy of the temperature of the oven.

Makes 1 loaf

50 ml (1³/₄ fl oz) full-cream milk

2 teaspoons fleur de sel, or other salt flakes (do not use fine salt)

2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

spray bottle filled with warm water

Dough

350 g (12 oz) plain (all-purpose) flour (‘0’/T55)

150 ml (5 fl oz) cold water (20°C/70°F)

70 ml (2¼ fl oz) virgin olive oil

6 g (¹/₅ oz) fine salt

3 g (¹/₁₀ oz) dried yeast

100 g (3½ oz) pitted black or green olives, coarsely chopped

L To make the dough, put the flour, water, olive oil, salt and yeast in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment and mix on low speed for 2–3 minutes, or until the dough comes together. Increase the speed to medium and knead for 8–10 minutes, or until the dough comes away from the side of the bowl. During the kneading stage, scrape the dough from the hook and the side of the bowl two or three times. Remove the dough hook, cover the bowl with a cloth and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1 hour, or until the dough has increased by two-thirds. Add the chopped olives and knead gently with one hand until the olives are evenly dispersed through the dough.

L Place the dough on a lightly floured work surface, then sprinkle a little extra flour over the top. Using your palms, flatten the dough into a 2 cm (³/₄ in) thick rectangle. Don’t worry about making it too even, as this bread is supposed to look rustic. Transfer to a lightly floured baking tray, cover with a cloth and set aside in a warm place to prove for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.

L Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) for at least 30 minutes before baking the bread. Using a small, sharp knife, cut four diagonal incisions on both sides of the dough to resemble a wheat kernel. Brush the top with the milk, then sprinkle with the salt and thyme leaves.

L Place on the bottom shelf of the oven and spray water into the oven for 5 seconds (see tip), then quickly close the oven door. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top of the fougasse begins to brown. Unlike other loaves or rolls that are made using the same dough, the thin shape of the fougasse means it cooks a lot faster, so keep an eye on it — one of the main characteristics of fougasse is its light colour. Remove from the oven and set aside until cool.

adding steam

Adding steam to the oven is beneficial for two reasons. Firstly, humidity delays the drying up of the dough’s skin and this helps the bread develop properly. Secondly, the water in the oven (as steam) will gelatinise the starch in the flour, which gives the finished bread a glossy crust.