Herb fougasse

Fougasse is the French cousin of focaccia and you can see the French flair in this pretty and flavorful herb loaf. This herb fougasse comes together more easily than you might think and the result is a delicious aromatic bread.

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Despite baguettes being the iconic French bread, it's far from the only one. And in fact, I'd argue some of the others are at least more interesting, if not tastier, like one of our favorites pain de campagne and this lovely loaf.

As I mention, this bread has a lot of similarities to focaccia, with it's use of olive oil and in many versions, herbs. But there are a few differences Focaccia is typically cooked in a pan with dimpling on the top of the loaf.

Fougasse, meanwhile, is cooked more like a pizza and typically slashed to look like a wheat sheaf. The result is more crisp edges, but equally delicious.

Where is fougasse from?

Fougasse is from the Provence area in Southern France. However its origins are believed to lead back to Rome, which probably accounts for the fact it has a close Italian cousin. 

Provence is an area known for its herbs and dishes like ratatouille, bouillabaisse, tapenade and Niçoise salad. If you know those, then it's likely no surprise that variations in this bread add things like olives and anchovies. And being France (plus lots of places, to be honest), some include ham or cheese.

Ingredients for this herb loaf

The basic bread dough here is fairly typical with flour, yeast, water and salt. It includes some olive oil in the dough as well as brushed on top before baking. Make sure you use a good extra virgin olive oil here as you will taste it. 

Here I've gone for a relatively typical combination of herbs that you'd find in Provence by including rosemary, thyme and oregano. You can vary as you have, but these are certainly a lovely combination. You can use all fresh if you have them, but you can also use dry for most, as I have here. Rosemary, though, I do think is best fresh in this.

Shaping the dough

Don't be intimidated by the shape of this, it's actually a lot easier to form than you might think. If you have a dough cutter, this works well, but otherwise just a sharp knife will be just fine. Start with the middle slash then cut three smaller lines on each side.

Ideally, you want to make single slashes in the dough to avoid ragged edges, but as you'll see in the video my knife wasn't quite sharp enough and didn't cut right through on the first go. After making the cuts, gently pull apart the bread so you have distinct holes. Remember, they will fill in a bit as the bread rises a little more during the second rest and bake. 

Be relatively generous in brushing with oil before you bake as it all adds to the lovely flavor of the loaf. You typically sprinkle a little coarse salt on top before baking as well which. This adds flavor as well as giving a bit of texture on top. You don't need too much, but a little definitely adds that something.

Between the different toppings and shape, this bread is perfect for snacking on, maybe dipped in oil or spread with soft cheese.

This herb fougasse is a wonderfully elegant looking and delicious tasting bread. It's aromatic from the herbs with a lightly salty top. The texture is that great balance of crisp crust and soft inside. In other words it's definitely one to try soon and enjoy often.

Try these other tasty breads:

• Manakish (another tasty bread with herbs and oil, in this case za'atar)
• Sage and caramelized onion sourdough bread
• Adjaruli khachapuri (a delicious Georgian bread topped with cheese)
• Plus get more cracker and bread recipes in the archives.

See some of my favorite cooking tools and ingredients in the Caroline's Cooking Amazon store. 

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