Amy Scherber’s Rosemary Fougasse

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

A variation on the Crusty Italian Bread.  Mix the dough according to the
instructions given in the recipe.
After the dough has taken its first rise for 1 1/2 to 2 hours (or
overnight) it can be shaped into a fougasse. Place the dough on a lightly
floured surface and pat it into a long narrow rectangle. Sprinkle a layer
of chopped rosemary over the surface of the dough being careful to cover
the edges too. Fold the dough in thirds like a business letter, the top
third over the middle of the dough, then the bottom third over that,
completely overlapping the two. Press the 3 open sides of the fougasse
tightly shut. Cover the bread well with plastic wrap and let rise until
doubled in bulk, about 1 to 2 hours.
Thirty minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. Place a
baking stone in the oven to preheat and position an oven rack just below
the stone.
Sprinkle a peel or upside-down baking sheet generously with cornmeal and
place the fougasse on top, stretching it slightly to make it into a square.
Cut a decorative pattern, such as a leaf or a ladder, into the dough with a
dough cutter. Spread and stretch the loaf until the cuts form large
openings.
Be sure the fougasse is loosened from the peel, then carefully slide it
onto the baking stone. Using a plant sprayer, quickly mist the bread with
water 8 to 10 times, then quickly shut oven door. Mist again after 1
minute. Then mist again 1 minute later.
Bake for about 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 450 degrees and
bake 15 minutes longer or until the loaf sounds slightly hollow when tapped
on the bottom and the crust is a medium to dark brown. (If the crust is not
brown enough, the bread will soften as it cools.) Transfer the bread to a
rack to cool for at least 30 minutes before serving.
BAKERS' DOZEN AMY SCHERBER SHOW #BD1A52 Copyright, 1996, TV FOOD NETWORK,
G.P., All Rights Reserved
Posted to Bakery-Shoppe Digest V1 #230 by Bill <thelma@pipeline.com> on Sep
11, 1997

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