Fugasa Bread Food

FOUGASSE

Steps:

• Make starter:
• Stir together sugar and warm water in bowl of mixer. Sprinkle yeast over mixture and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If yeast doesn't foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
• Whisk flour into yeast mixture until combined well. Let starter rise, loosely covered with plastic wrap, 30 minutes.
• Make dough:
• Add sugar, salt, crushed anise seeds, water, orange-flower water, zest, 1/3 cup oil, and 11/4 cups flour to starter and beat at medium speed until smooth. Mix in remaining 2 cups flour, 1/2 cup at a time, at low speed until a soft dough forms.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead, sprinkling surface lightly with flour if dough is very sticky, until smooth and elastic (dough will remain slightly sticky), 8 to 10 minutes. Form dough into a ball and transfer to a lightly oiled large bowl, turning dough to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• Punch down dough (do not knead), then halve. Pat out each half into an oval (about 12 inches long and 1/4 inch thick), then transfer to 2 lightly oiled large baking sheets.
• Using a very sharp knife or a pastry scraper, make a cut down center of each oval "leaf," cutting all the way through to baking sheet and leaving a 1-inch border on each end of cut. Make 3 shorter diagonal cuts on each side of original cut, leaving a 1-inch border on each end of cuts, to create the look of leaf veins (do not connect cuts). Gently pull apart cuts about 1 1/2 inches with your fingers. Let dough stand, uncovered, until slightly puffed, about 30 minutes.
• Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
• Brush loaves with remaining tablespoon oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake, switching position of baking sheets halfway through baking, until loaves are golden brown and sound hollow when tapped on bottom, 35 to 40 minutes total. Transfer loaves to a rack and cool to warm or room temperature.

FUGAZZA (ARGENTINIAN FOCACCIA) RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place the warm water (100 F to 105 F) in a small bowl. Stir the sugar into the water and sprinkle over the yeast. Set aside for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is bubbly.
• Place the flour, 5 tablespoons of the olive oil, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix briefly using the dough hook.
• Add the yeast mixture and begin to knead the dough with the dough hook. The mixture should come together as a soft, stretchy dough, pulling away from the sides of the bowl. Add a bit more flour if the mixture is too wet, and add a bit more water if the mixture seems dry, crumbly, or overly firm. Knead for 5 to 10 minutes, until dough is smooth, soft, and elastic.
• Coat a bowl with about 1 tablespoon of oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled in size, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
• While the dough is rising, peel the onion and slice it into very thin strips. Place in a bowl of cold salted water and soak for 30 minutes.
• Drain the onions well and dry them with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 450 F. Once the dough has risen, punch it down and shape it into a smooth ball.
• Pour 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a 14-inch pizza pan with 1-inch sides. Place the ball of dough in the middle of the pan and flatten gently with your fingers. Let the dough relax for 10 minutes.
• Continue to flatten the dough while pushing it toward the sides of the pan, letting it relax in between stretching, until the dough covers the bottom of the pan.
• Sprinkle the onions over the top of the dough. Drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over the onions and sprinkle with the dried oregano.
• Bake the fugazza for 20 minutes, or until the edges start to turn golden brown. You can brown the onions under the broiler for the last 3 minutes of cooking if they aren't browned enough.
• If desired, remove the fugazza from the oven and top with thin slices of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle with grated Parmesan. Return to the oven and bake until the fugazza is golden brown and crispy around the edges, about 5 more minutes.
• Remove from the oven and cut into slices to serve.

FOUGASSE (OLIVE BREAD)

Steps:

• In a 3-qt (or larger) bowl, combine water, yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil. Stir in flour with a wooden spoon, or in a heavy-duty stand mixer with dough hook, just until all the flour is incorporated; do not knead. Let stand at room temperature 2 hours, or until it rises then collapses. (Dough may be used at this point, or refrigerated for up to 5 days.).
• Place an empty broiler tray or baking pan in the oven and preheat oven to 400°F
• Divide dough in half and work with one piece at a time. Form the dough into a ball, then flatten to about 1/2" thickness on a heavily-floured work surface. (This dough needs to be drier than most to hold the cut shapes, so keep that in mind when adding bench flour.) Sprinkle with half the olives, then roll up jelly-roll-fashion. Form into a ball, then into a flat oval. Slice angled slits into the dough, then gently pull them open. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet and brush with more olive oil. Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Place the cookie sheet on a rack in the middle of the oven. Pour 1 cup hot water into the empty broiler pan and quickly close the oven door. Bake 20-25 minutes, until puffy and golden brown (the crust will not get crackly hard because of the oil).
• Repeat with remaining dough and remaining olives.

FOUGASSE

Steps:

• Pour water into a large bowl. Sprinkle yeast into water, and let it stand undisturbed until dissolved. Stir in 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon herbs, sea salt, and 2 tablespoons oil until well blended. Mix in the flour, 1 cup at a time until a thick and somewhat sticky dough forms.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Form into a ball, and place into an oiled bowl. Flip the dough to coat the surface. Cover the bowl with a clean dishtowel, and let it rise until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down, and divide in half. Shape into an irregular ovals, about 1 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle cornmeal over 2 baking sheets; transfer dough to pans. Brush each loaf with olive oil, and sprinkle the remaining herbs on top. Make several slashes in the bread, cutting through the dough with a knife. Cover the loaves with clean dishtowels. Let rise again until the dough begins to rise again, about 20 minutes.
• Place baking sheets into a preheated 450 degree F (220 degree C) oven. Quickly splash a small amount of water onto the floor of your oven to create steam, and close the oven door. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

FOUGASSE

Steps:

• Put the flour in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, sprinkle the yeast over 1/4-cup/60 ml warm water. Stir 1/4-cup/60 g flour from the large bowl into the yeast to make a paste. Let sit until it starts to foam, about 10 minutes.
• Make a well in the flour. Crack in the eggs, and add the salt, oil, and chopped rosemary. Pour in 1/4-cup/60 ml water and mix. Finally, add the yeast starter to combine, and gradually draw in the flour to make dough. Add the olives and knead into smooth dough. Place in a bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place 1 hour.
• Punch down the dough and roll into a thin rectangle, using a rolling pin. Place on a baking sheet. Cook's Note: You can scatter cornmeal underneath if you like.
• Cut three slits down each side, to give the bread a leaf look. Separate the slits with your fingers to make long holes. Let the bread rise 30 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Whisk together the egg and water, if using. Brush the top of the bread with the egg wash, then bake until risen and golden, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and let cool 10 minutes at least before serving.

RED ONION, GRUYèRE & ROSEMARY FOUGASSE

Steps:

• Tip the flour into a mixing bowl. For easy-blend dried yeast, stir this into the flour. For fresh yeast, crumble it and rub into the flour as you would with butter when making pastry. Add the salt and sugar.
• Boil the kettle and measure 100ml into a jug. Top up with cold water to the 300ml mark. Test the temperature with your finger - it should feel perfectly hand-hot. Add the oil.
• Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid all at once. Mix quickly using your hands or a wooden fork to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Wipe the dough around the bowl to pick up any loose flour.
• Sprinkle the work surface with flour and tip out the dough. Knead by stretching it away from you, then folding it in half towards you and pushing it away with the heel of your hand. Give it a quarter turn and repeat, developing a rhythm.
• When the dough is smooth, put it back into the mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 1 hr (no need to find a warm place). The dough is ready when it springs back when you press it with your finger.
• Thinly slice the onion and gently cook in the oil until softened, about 5 mins. Cut the gruyère into small cubes. Chop half the rosemary.
• Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead in the onion and chopped rosemary.
• Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in half. Roll or press out one piece of dough to a rectangular shape about 20cm x 25cm, then transfer to a baking sheet lined with non-stick paper. Make a large diagonal cut across the centre of the dough almost to the ends. Make three smaller diagonal cuts either side of the large cut to make a leaf shape.
• Repeat with the other piece of dough. Stick gruyère cubes and rosemary sprigs into the dough at intervals, then sprinkle with a little flour and sea salt. Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8. Leave the loaves to prove for 20 mins then bake for 13-15 mins until golden. Serve warm with soups and starters.