Fougasse Tear and Share Bread

Side dishServes 4

This simple and delicious tear and share bread recipe from the team at Side Oven Bakery at Foston on the Wolds in East Yorkshire is a wonderfully light dough and perfect for plunging into soup or, now the sun has returned, dunking into dipping oils in the garden with a glass of something fizzy! For more recipe inspiration and to buy their range of award-winning products online visit www.sideoven.com

Ingredients

500g White Flour

15g Yeast (half the quantity if using dried)

5g Salt

350ml Tepid Water (approx)

Method

  1. Crumble the yeast into the dry ingredients. Gradually add the water – the dough will be sticky and it might help to mix with a dough cutter in the bowl until a lump of dough has formed.
  2. Tip out onto the table (no flour) and start to knead. Persist with the sticky dough and gradually as you develop the gluten, the dough will start to fall away from your hand forming a rubbery soft ball. Knead for 7 minutes then form a cob and put back into the bowl and cover. Leave to prove until doubled in size.
  3. Once proved, flour your surface and gently tip the dough out. Easing it out with your scraper onto the floured surface. It should be a soft and pliable dough that should flop into an oval shape on the table. Take a knife and cut down the middle then diagonally on the sides – like a leaf. It is important not to knock the air out. Be gentle!
  4. Stretch the holes carefully and place the loaf on a lined baking tray and put into the oven.
  5. Bake for approx 20 minutes in 220c oven and enjoy!