All we ask is you give us a review, tell us what's good or bad, so we know what you really think, to help improve our service to you!
DOUGHRISEFOUNDERS
Recipe
6 min read
Sourdough Fougasse with Olives, Thyme & Lemon Zest
A beautiful spring sourdough fougasse with olives, thyme and lemon zest. Crispy edges, open crumb, and a dough that's genuinely fun to make.
Photo by Oskar Kadaksoo on UnsplashThere is something about pulling a fougasse out of the oven that feels almost theatrical. The leaves of dough have opened up in the heat, the edges have gone properly crisp, and the whole kitchen smells of thyme and warm olive oil. It is one of those bakes that looks like you really put some effort in, even though the process is genuinely relaxed once you get your head around it.
Fougasse is a Provençal flatbread, and it is underrated in the sourdough world. Most people go straight for the boule or the focaccia, but this one deserves more attention. The dough sits at around 68% hydration, which is forgiving enough for a weeknight bake but still gives you that open, slightly chewy crumb with those gorgeous crispy edges. The cuts are not just decorative either. They dramatically increase the surface area, which means more crust, faster baking, and a texture that is almost impossible to achieve any other way. With spring finally feeling like spring, the combination of olives, fresh thyme, and a bit of lemon zest hits exactly right.
Dough
- 400g strong white bread flour
- 80g active sourdough starter (at peak, 100% hydration)
- 272g water, lukewarm
- 9g (1½ tsp) fine sea salt
- 20g (1½ tbsp) good olive oil, plus extra for handling
Inclusions and Topping
- 80g Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly torn
- 8g fresh thyme leaves (from about 6 sprigs)
- Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
- Flaky sea salt, for finishing
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil, for the baking tray and brushing
Baker's Tips
- Pat the olives dry with kitchen paper before laminating them in. Excess moisture from the olives can make the dough sticky and interfere with the structure during the final proof.
- The cuts in the fougasse need to be decisive and wide. Use a bench scraper or a sharp knife and pull the dough apart at each cut with oiled fingers immediately after cutting. If the cuts close back up during baking, they were not opened wide enough.
- If you are baking regularly and keeping multiple dough formulas on the go, DoughRise Pro lets you save unlimited formulas and export your full bake history to PDF or CSV, which is genuinely handy when you start tweaking hydration or swap flour types and want to track what actually worked.
METHOD
- Mix the dough. In a large bowl, combine the flour and water. Mix until no dry flour remains, then cover and leave to rest for 45 minutes. This is your autolyse. After the rest, add the starter and olive oil, and mix well by squeezing the dough through your fingers until fully incorporated. Add the salt and mix again for another minute or two. Cover and leave at room temperature (around 21–23°C is ideal in spring).
- Build strength with folds. Over the first two hours of bulk fermentation, perform 3 sets of coil folds spaced 30–40 minutes apart. After the third set the dough should feel noticeably more elastic and hold its shape when you lift it. Leave it alone for the remainder of the bulk, which will be another 2–3 hours depending on your kitchen temperature. You are looking for roughly 60–70% volume increase and a dough that feels airy and jiggles gently when you move the bowl.
- Laminate in the inclusions. Once bulk is done, gently tip the dough onto a lightly oiled work surface. Pat it out into a rough rectangle with your hands, keep it gentle. Scatter the torn olives, thyme leaves, and lemon zest evenly across the surface. Fold the dough over in thirds like a letter, then in thirds again the other way to form a rough square packet. Divide this into two equal pieces. Shape each piece loosely into an oval, cover with a damp cloth, and rest for 20 minutes.
- Shape and cut the fougasse. Generously oil two baking trays. Place one piece of dough onto each tray and press it out gently with your fingertips into a rough leaf shape, about 25–30 centimetres long and 1–1.5 centimetres thick. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, make one central cut lengthways down the middle (not quite reaching the edges), then make 3 diagonal cuts on each side like the ribs of a leaf. Immediately after cutting, gently stretch each cut open with oiled fingers so they are about 3–4 centimetres wide. If you leave them they will close up. Cover loosely and leave to proof for 45–60 minutes at room temperature.
Why this works
Laminating the inclusions after bulk rather than mixing them in from the start protects the gluten network while it is building strength. Olives contain oils and moisture that would interfere with gluten development if added too early, essentially acting as a shortening agent. Getting the structure right first, then folding them in, gives you a dough that is strong enough to hold its shape during the cuts and the oven spring.
- Preheat the oven. Set your oven to 240°C (220°C fan) and place a shelf in the upper third. If you have a baking stone or steel, put it in now to preheat. If not, a preheated tray works fine too. Give it at least 30 minutes to get properly hot.
INTO THE OVEN
- Finish and bake. Just before baking, brush each fougasse generously with olive oil and scatter over a good pinch of flaky sea salt. Slide the trays into the oven and bake for 16–18 minutes, until the edges are deeply golden and the cut sections are properly crisp. They will colour fast at this temperature, so check them at 14 minutes. Rotate the trays if your oven has hot spots.
- Cool slightly before serving. Transfer to a wire rack and give them at least 10 minutes before tearing in. The inside needs a moment to finish setting and the crust will crisp up further as it cools. They are best eaten the day they are made, ideally still a little warm, with good butter or a bowl of olive oil alongside.
Want to dial in this recipe for a different batch size or flour type? Use the free DoughRise Baker's Percentages Calculator to scale every ingredient precisely without any maths.
Happy baking! Find everything you need at doughrise.store
Photo by Oskar Kadaksoo on Unsplash