Goat cheese, honey & rosemary Fougasse

"Fougasse" is a type of flatbread usually associated with Provence but can also be found in other regions of France.

It comes from panis focacius , a flatbread baked in ancient Rome. Fougasse is a variation of panis focacia but there are lots of others including the famous focaccia in Italian cuisine.

Fun fact:

In the olden times, Fougasse was used in bakeries to assess the temperature of a wood fired oven. The time the Fougasse would take to bake gave an idea of the temperature of the oven and if the other breads could be put in the oven.

Commonly in Provence, it's baked with olives and bacon but I really love the combination of goat cheese with rosemary and honey and this combination really reminds of the south of France so it's very fitting.

A very important note to make is that you must use "fleur de sel" or sea salt flakes for it and so not table salt and extra virgin olive oil for the brushing of it to get a really well flavored and traditional Fougasse.

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of strong white bread flour

• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) of active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon of table salt

• 1 teaspoon of caster sugar

• 6 tablespoons of olive oil + some for frying the shallots

• water

• 2 shallots, thinly slices

• 1 clove of garlic, crushed

• 1 teaspoon of honey to caramelize the shallots

• extra virgin olive oil for brushing

• 2 sprigs of rosemary, crushed in a passel and mortar to release the flavor + some to garnish

• 1 goat cheese buche, cut into thick slices

• Sea salt flakes ("Fleur de sel")

• honey

Instructions:

1. To make the dough, place the flour + active dry yeast + salt + sugar in a bowl, making sure the salt and the yeast are not touching each-other. Give a little mix and then add in the oil and a little water and mix in stand mixer fitted with the dough hook or with your hands. Add in water, a little at a time until all the flour is incorporated into the dough.

2. Now that you have a dough, kneed the dough for 5 minutes in the stand-mixer or until the dough springs back when you poke it.

3. Leave the dough to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.

4. Fry your shallots + garlic in a little oil until they brown slightly and then add in the teaspoon of honey and caramelize the onions for a further 30 seconds. Add in your crushed rosemary and set aside for later.

5. Take your dough out and kneed in the caramelized onions and rosemary and then form a ball with it, place it on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and brush with some extra-virgin olive oil. Leave for 1 hour to rise.

6. Once the dough has risen, flatten it out into a flatbread with the palms of your hands. Make six straight cuts (3 on either side) facing inwards with a knife to make the flatbread look a little like a leaf. Spread the cuts to make them look a little bigger.

7. Add the goat cheese + sea salt flakes on the top (a lot of sea salt flakes, about 2 teaspoons). Brush with more extra virgin olive oil. Leave to rest for 1 hour and 30 mins.

8. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Once the oven is pre-heated, brush your flatbread one last time with extra virgin olive oil and place in the oven for 20-25 minutes, until it is golden brown.

9. Take out of the oven and drizzle on some honey and serve. Garnish with a little more sea salt flakes if needed.

Enjoy with a comforting soup, fresh salad or anything that you like...

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Bye Xxx