Homemade Fougasse (French-Style Flatbread)

Fougasse is a French flatbread from Provence shaped and cut to look like a leaf or an ear of wheat. Like the French cousin of Italian focaccia, this “hearth bread” features a chewy, crusty texture and rustic savory flavor. This recipe requires making a preferment a day ahead of time (takes less than 5 minutes!), which is key for developing flavor and structure.

Like the French cousin of focaccia, fougasse is a rustic, olive oil–kissed flatbread meant for sharing, tearing, and dipping. Traditionally shaped and slashed to resemble a leaf or stalk of wheat, those signature cuts create extra crispy surface area as it bakes.

While we aren’t using the exact method you’d learn in a bread class in France, this streamlined version delivers consistent, bakery-worthy results in your home kitchen. It’s also a wonderful introduction to preferment breads—an impressive home baking project that you’ll feel proud to pull from the oven.

Turn on your favorite French café playlist, get out the olive oil, and let’s bake!

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What Is Fougasse?

Fougasse is a crusty French flatbread from Provence with a deeply savory flavor and beautifully contrasted texture. Think of it as somewhere between rustic bread crust and a thin focaccia. Here’s what makes it so special:

• Savory and aromatic: Olive oil richness with notes from herbs like rosemary or thyme.
• Crispy exterior: Thanks to its thin shaping and decorative slashes.
• Chewy interior: Especially when made with bread flour and a preferment.
• Add-ins are welcome: Fougasse is often studded with black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, and/or cheese (like Gruyère or Parmesan). But even in its simplest form—olive oil, salt, and herbs—it’s deeply satisfying.

What most fougasse recipes have in common:

1. Bread flour (often with some whole wheat)
2. Olive oil
3. Decorative slashes before baking

Where they vary:

1. Some use a preferment (like a biga or poolish), others don’t. We found the flavor improved greatly with this simple step.
2. Some rely on stretch-and-folds instead of kneading—this is the method we prefer.
3. Some bake on a stone for extra crispness. We use a preheated baking sheet, and both work well.

Ingredients You Need for Fougasse

1. Bread Flour: While you can use all-purpose flour in this recipe, I strongly recommend using bread flour. Just like when we make olive bread, pizza bread, and asiago-crusted skillet bread, bread flour produces a stronger, chewier crumb.
2. Whole Wheat Flour: Adds depth and subtle nuttiness for a hearty flavor.
3. Instant or Active-Dry Yeast: You can use either. Take note that you will not use an entire standard packet of yeast.
4. Salt: You just can’t make good bread without salt—it’s essential for flavor. Use regular table salt today.
5. Water: Some yeasted bread recipes, like my soft dinner rolls, call for warm liquid because it helps the yeast work faster. On the other end of the spectrum, bread recipes with a long rest time, like this no-knead honey oat bread, call for cool or room-temperature water. The cooler the water, the longer the dough takes to rise and, usually, the better the bread’s flavor. (This is important because there are so few ingredients to add substantial flavor!)
6. Olive Oil: A little goes in the dough, and then you’ll need more for greasing and for brushing before baking. And for dipping!

Plus, an invisible ingredient: time. The preferment, a couple strategic rests, and proper proofing after shaping all work together to develop flavor.

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Overview: How to Make Fougasse

It may seem like a long process, but keep in mind that most of the time is hands-off, while the dough rests. You also have flexibility with the timing, so you can work it into your day!

Day 1: Make the preferment.

1. Mix together the biga/preferment. We’re using the same preferment as ciabatta bread. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 12–24 hours. It will about double in size and be very bubbly.

This is after 24 hours:

Day 2: Make the bread.

In a large bowl, whisk the flours, yeast, and salt. Add the preferment, water, and olive oil. Stir by hand, or use a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, until a shaggy dough forms.

Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 3–5 minutes, until smooth. The dough should be slightly sticky but workable.

Place in an oiled bowl, cover, and let rest for 45 minutes. It’s fine if it rests a little longer.

Now we’ll build a little extra structure with one quick stretch-and-fold.

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How to Stretch & Fold Sticky Dough

After the dough rests for 45 minutes, lightly grease your fingers or a silicone spatula with a bit of olive oil. Using your greased hand or spatula, lift up one side of the dough and gently stretch it up and pull it toward the opposite side of the bowl, folding it down over the dough. I like to visualize a clock on top of the dough for this. You’ll be folding it at the 12 o’clock mark and pulling it down over the 6 o’clock mark. Then, turn the bowl 90 degrees and repeat. Do this until you’ve gone around the bowl once, for a total of 4 folds:

The stretch-and-fold method is similar to kneading dough but much gentler and more precise; it’s designed to handle the dough’s stickiness without overworking it. You’re building structure and strength.

A single round of stretching and folding is enough to strengthen the dough without overcomplicating the process. When you’re done, let the dough rest for at least 45 minutes and get ready to shape.

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How to Shape Fougasse

Press the dough into a rounded triangle shape, about 12 inches long and 6 inches wide at the base. Cover and rest for 30 minutes to let the gluten relax.

Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut one long slash down the center (leave 1 inch at each end). Add 3–4 diagonal slashes on each side. Gently stretch the openings to create 2-inch gaps.

Rest another 30 minutes while the oven preheats to 450°F (232°C). Place a baking stone or an inverted baking sheet in the oven so it preheats as well.

Brush dough with olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and herbs, if desired. We typically use chopped fresh rosemary. Dried Herbes de Provence is delicious, too.

Slide the parchment (with the dough) onto the preheated baking sheet. Bake about 20 minutes, until deeply golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. Cool slightly, then serve warm!

Quick Lesson: Why Use a Preferment?

Preferment, sponge, biga, poolish, levain… what’s the difference? All preferments ferment a portion of the flour, water, and yeast ahead of time to improve flavor, structure, and shelf life. It’s a small step that makes a big difference.

Here’s a quick breakdown:

• Sponge: A flexible, yeast-based preferment often made a few hours (or overnight) before mixing the final dough.
• Biga (what we use here): A stiffer sponge (about 50–60% hydration). It creates deeper flavor and a stronger, chewier structure. It’s perfect for breads like ciabatta and today’s fougasse.
• Poolish: Equal parts flour and water (100% hydration). Thinner and more batter-like, producing a lighter, more open crumb.
• Levain (from a sourdough starter): Naturally fermented (from wild yeast), giving sourdough bread its signature tang and chew.

For this fougasse, the biga gives us complexity and structure without making the process complicated. A little planning ahead, and your bread tastes like it came from a bakery!

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