Oh my, this was so good! I think this is my favorite French Fridays with Dorie so far…and that’s saying a lot, because I’ve really liked pretty much everything (except the sardines, which this totally makes up for).
This is also bread that I thought, looks much more complicated than it is — always a plus. I actually can’t wait to make this one again.
Notes:
1. I used a mix of kalamata and mixed Mediterranean olives, as I didn’t have any oil-cured ones. But I really want to try it with the right kind of olives next time.
2. Halved the recipe as I usually do so I got one loaf.
3. I added a 1/2 tsp of herbes de Provence to the dough.
4. I could probably have eaten the whole loaf a few minutes it came out of the oven but I decided it would probably be nice to leave some for jwa.
5. Oh, I might have had a bit too much flour in mine as it never seemed as loose as Dorie said it would be. Mine felt like regular bread dough.
6. I baked my bread on a pizza stone and I got a nice, crunchy bottom.
7. And finally, I found the recipe online at Serious Eats, so here’s a link to it if you don’t have Around My French Table yet but want to try this one.
Okay, here are everyone’s posts and my photos below.
A mix of chopped olives.
Adding it all into the dough.
After resting overnight in the fridge, patted out and ready to start rolling.
Leaf shapes cut and spread open.
After about 18 minutes in the oven, mine got pretty golden (and yes, I’ve started eating it already).
Looking good inside, I even got some nice air holes.
Very nice shape you achieved! Mine was a bit `rustic´. I Loved this olive bread too!
This was definitely better than the sardines 🙂
Your bread looks lovely & definitely snack worthy…
Your fougasse is lovely! I like the browning you got on yours. Mine was a bit pale!
Paula: Thanks! And rustic is good! 😉
Cher: Thank you. I actually brought a big chunk to work today for a snack (along with some goat cheese)…
Lola: Thanks! 🙂
I agree…this was a winner! And thanks for showing how far out you need to stretch those holes to keep them open 🙂
Yum! Perfect slashes, too… beautiful! 🙂
Beautiful job. Tricia and I both enjoyed this recipe and would like to experiment with other
ingredients. I really think those sardines will go down as the worst recipe yet, although, believe
it or not I liked it. Lovely photos.
Mine was more like pizza dough too – it definitely didn’t “pool” in my mixing bowl like Dorie said! Still delicious though! Yours looks great!
Lovely fougasse…looks so delicious! So glad this was a winner for you…we loved it, too! I couldn’t even bring myself to make the sardines…that was a no go for me!
Nice! Brilliant on the pizza stone.
You did a good job ! Olive and lemon zest packed french bread and freeform shape…who doesnt like it. I love it! Will be making this again coz it is so simple and easy to make…and forgiving too 🙂
Bingo. I am going to bake mine on a pizza stone also. I just purchased an Emile Henri stone. Since it was expensive I would like to use it a lot. Although I absolutely loved the fougasse, I wouldn’t mind having it a little more crusty. Like you, I found it simpler to make than it actually looked. I plan to make it often and try all kinds of variations.
Nice photos of your mix-ins. I’ll have to try the pizza stone next time. I think this would be good with any kind of olives. I did use the oil-cured ones, and you should definitely try them if you can find them. I love brined olives, but the oil-cured ones seem to have a different sort of flavor. I always find them much fruitier than the brined ones.
A pizza stone is high on the list of things I need to buy. Your fougasse looks beautiful!
Nice job! We really enjoyed this – both loaves disappeared.
I really liked using the different olives 🙂 I bet you would like it with any kind of olives!
Williams Sonoma makes a great pizza stone that is rectangular (about the size of a baking sheet, but a bit wider) for $45 and its great! I love that its not circular so I can bake all sorts of breads with it too!