Alsatian kouglof
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Fougasse (olive bread)
Fougasse · Fougasse aux olives
A Provençal olive bread shaped as a flattened oval with seven open slits. This Le Cordon Bleu formula uses wheat flour, fresh yeast, olive oil and Kalamata olives.
A Provençal bread with open cuts
Le Cordon Bleu describes fougasse as a French bread typically associated with Provence, though it is also made in other regions. Some versions are sculpted or slashed into a pattern resembling a head of wheat. The recipe here comes from the school's L'École de la Boulangerie cookbook and makes two olive fougasses. Its provenance supports a Provençal association, not a precise birthplace or one formula for every baker.
The dough uses T65 wheat flour, olive oil and roughly chopped Kalamata olives. After shaping into rectangles, the baker opens seven cuts in each loaf. This method gives dimensions for the dough and trays as well as the number of slits. It does not claim the olives or exact cut arrangement are required in every fougasse.
Sources for this section
Ferment, shape and bake
The method begins in a stand mixer: yeast, water, flour and salt mix for five minutes on low speed, then knead for eight minutes on medium. Olive oil goes in gradually at low speed, followed by the olives. The dough rests covered for an hour at room temperature, receives one fold, and ferments for a second hour. Le Cordon Bleu specifies the time and room-temperature location but gives no measured dough temperature.
Divide the dough into two portions of about 530 g. Shape them loosely into ovals and rest for ten minutes. Flatten each to a rectangle about 25 by 18 cm on a parchment-lined tray. Make seven slits with a dough cutter and open them by hand before the final 30–45-minute proof; the branching gaps define the form. Bake both trays in a conventional oven at 230°C for 20–25 minutes, then brush the loaves with olive oil on a wire rack. The finishing oil has no stated amount.
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Flour and oven handling
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that raw flour can carry harmful bacteria. Do not taste the dough before baking, and wash hands, bowls and utensils after handling it. The recipe uses a 230°C oven; use oven protection when moving the hot trays.
Sources for this section
History
Le Cordon Bleu describes fougasse as a French bread typically associated with Provence, while also found in other regions. Its olive-filled recipe is credited to the school's L'École de la Boulangerie cookbook. This supports a regional association and one current baking method, not a precise birthplace or a single universal fougasse formula.
Ingredients
Yield 2 fougasses · Scaling: source batch only
540 g
330 g
Fresh compressed yeast
5 g
11 g
Olive oilAdded during bassinage, after the initial kneading.
40 g
Kalamata olivesRoughly chop.
150 g
Olive oilBrush onto the baked breads.
amount not stated
Method
Risks and precautions · Standard risk
Pathogens in raw flour
Raw flour can carry harmful bacteria; uncooked dough should not be tasted.
Hazard sourceBurns from the oven and trays
The method uses a 230°C oven and two hot baking trays.
Hazard sourceDo not taste raw dough. Wash hands, utensils, bowls and work surfaces after handling flour and dough.
Control sourceUse oven protection when loading and removing the trays.
Control sourceDo not taste the raw dough; keep it separate from ready-to-eat food and clean up after handling flour.
The oven is set to 230°C. Protect hands when handling the hot trays.
- Put the yeast, water, flour and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix on low speed for 5 minutes, then knead on medium speed for 8 minutes.
- With the mixer on low, pour in the 40 g olive oil. Mix until the dough is smooth, then add the roughly chopped olives and mix on low until they are incorporated.
- Oil the sides of a bowl and transfer the dough to it. Cover with a damp cloth and leave at room temperature for 1 hour.
- Fold the dough once, cover it again and ferment for another hour at room temperature.
- Divide the dough into two pieces of about 530 g each. Shape each loosely into an oval, cover with a cloth and rest for 10 minutes at room temperature.
- Flatten each piece into a rectangle about 25 × 18 cm. Put them on separate parchment-lined baking trays, each about 30 × 38 cm.
- Use a dough cutter to make seven slits in each piece. Gently pull the cuts open by hand.
- Cover and proof at room temperature for 30–45 minutes.
- Preheat a conventional oven to 230°C. Bake both trays for 20–25 minutes.
- Transfer the fougasses to a wire rack and brush them with olive oil.
Conditions
Yield2 fougasses
Active time15 min
Fermentation2.67–2.92 h
Temperature230°C
Temperature controlAmbient, monitored
Places
Provence
Documented preparation · Region evidenceLe Cordon Bleu describes fougasse as typically associated with Provence while noting that it is also found in other French regions; this is an association, not an origin claim.
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Sources
Le Cordon BleuInspiration · Method · History · Food use
Make fougasse the Le Cordon Bleu way this Bastille DayLe Cordon Bleu describes fougasse as typically associated with Provence but also found in other French regions, and says the recipe comes from L'École de la Boulangerie.
The recipe makes two fougasses from 540 g T65 flour, 330 g water, 5 g fresh compressed yeast, 11 g salt, 40 g olive oil and 150 g Kalamata olives, with an unspecified amount of finishing oil.
The method gives kneading, fermentation, shaping, seven slits, proofing and a 230°C, 20–25-minute bake.
Cited in: A Provençal bread with open cuts; Ferment, shape and bake
U.S. Food and Drug AdministrationSafety
Handling Flour Safely: What You Need to KnowRaw flour may carry harmful bacteria. Do not taste raw flour or dough; wash hands and utensils after handling.
Cited in: Flour and oven handling