Saturday, June 8, 2013

Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris: Fougasse au Romarin (Rosemary Bread)


Fougasse au Romarin (Rosemary Fougasse) 
from Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris

I was inspired this morning to try a new bread recipe after reading through Clotilde's Edible Adventures in Paris. 



Rosemary from my garden

The directions say to make the dough into a "leaf-shaped oval."

Adding olive oil and fresh rosemary on top

And à la vôtre!  Amazing.

Fougasse au Romarin (Rosemary Fougasse) 

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 1/4 cups (18 ounces; 500 g) all-purpose flour, plus extra for sprinkling
  • 1 1/3 cups (320 ml) lukewarm water
  • 1 teaspoon granulated instant yeast
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons fleur de sel or kosher salt, plus extra for sprinkling (see Note 1)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, roughly chopped, plus extra for sprinkling (substitute 1 tablespoon dried rosemary)
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for brushing

DIRECTIONS

Put the flour in a large bowl and form a deep well in the center. Pour the water into the well, sprinkle with the yeast, and leave to soften for 5 minutes.

Using the fingers of one hand and without going all the way to the bottom of the bowl, stir gently to combine part of the flour with the water to form a soupy paste.

Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let rest at room temperature for 25 minutes, until bubbles form at the surface.

Add the salt, rosemary, and oil, and, still working with one hand, stir the entire contents of the bowl to incorporate the rest of the flour, until the dough forms a shaggy ball.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and springy, 12 to 15 minutes; you can also use a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. The dough will be rather sticky, but this is the key to a light-textured fougasse, so try to resist adding extra flour.

Clean the bowl and grease it lightly. Return the dough to the bowl, cover with the towel, and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and sprinkle flour lightly on a baking sheet. Punch down the dough and divide it into two balls.

Shape each ball into a flattened leaf-shaped oval, about 5 by 9 inches (13 by 23 cm), and place side by side on the prepared baking sheet. Use the dull side of a knife to cut five or six deep slits in each fougasse, cutting all the way across the dough. Pull gently on the edges of each loaf to widen the slits, and use your fingers to open each slit widely enough that it won’t close during the baking. Cover with the towel and let rise for 20 minutes as the oven preheats.

 Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until crusty and golden. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with a little more fleur de sel and rosemary, and transfer to a rack to cool completely. The second loaf can be frozen for up to a month (pop the thawed loaf in the oven for 5 minutes at 400°F [200°C] to revive its texture), and any leftovers can be used to make bruschetta the next day.

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

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29 comments:

  1. Since we're spending seven days in Paris this summer, I was all eyes (not to mention that I love rosemary bread -- or any bread for that matter). I'm also going to check out this book.

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  2. It will be perfect for your trip, Kittie!

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  3. Me again. Bought the book. It's perfect for our trip. Thanks!

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  4. Gorgeous bread! I can almost taste it...lol. Thanks for sharing, and here's MY SATURDAY SNAPSHOT POST

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  5. I own that book. I read that book. But I don't remember any bread recipes! Advancing dementia I suspect. Your bread looks wonderful- excellent training for your next career. And I learnt the French word for focaccia.

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  6. Thank you, Diane. I think I could be a happy baker.

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  7. Not a lot of recipes in that book, Louise. Better for finding good spots to go to eat, I suspect.

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  8. Yum - I like that book. Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads, it is Saturday Snapshot that is hosted by West Metro Mommy. :)

    Have a super week!

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  9. You are right, Sheila! Hopefully, I've gotten everything fixed and correct now!

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  10. LOL :) It happens to all of us. Have a super week.

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  11. That looks so good. I have rosemary in my garden, too -- plenty for bread!

    Joy's Book Blog

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  12. It's gorgeous and now I'm hungry!

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  13. Mmmm.... Rosemary Bread sounds and looks delicious.

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  14. I love cooking with rosemary! Your bush is impressive! Rosemary doesn't survive most winters here in my gardening zone in New Jersey, so our plants never get as big as yours.

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  15. I can just smell that as it bakes! I have a rosemary bush on my kitchen table but it is small in comparison to your mighty one!

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  16. Mmmmm! I love rosemary bread, and I deeply envy you for having rosemary growing in your garden. The one time I tried growing it, it went mildewy and died within a month.Fortunately I can get it freshly cut from the supermarket, because I will be trying this bread.

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  17. You are so brave making your own bread

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  18. Surprisingly, bread making only looks hard.

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  19. I love rosemary bread- yours looks so delicious!

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  20. Yummy post! And thanks for the recipe!

    Here is my snapshot post

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  21. I feel a baking session coming on! I love rosemary.

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  22. I'm new to spices in my garden. Rosemary, my first, has hung in there for a year. Amazing.

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  23. This does look great. If you love books about France, or France in general, you should play along with my Monday meme "Dreaming of France." I usually remember to post it Sunday evening so those people in Australia can play too. Here's Mine

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  24. Thanks for reminding me that I need to plant rosemary in my herb garden still! This recipe looks delicious!

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  25. I can't say that first picture looks very appetizing--but it turned out beautiful by the end!

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  26. I haven't made bread in a few years, but that looks so yummy I'm thinking about it!
    Here's My SS

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