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Tuesday, February 2, 2016

Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse + Simple Olive Oil Dough

Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse
This month is all about the RED. Valentine's Day, National Heart Month, and the Red Carpet (thanks to the Oscars) all come to mind when I think February. With those as our abstract inspiration, the #TwelveLoaves bakers have chose RED as our bread baking theme this month. This theme was wide open to so many ingredients. I was very close to making a bread with red quinoa, but I just couldn't find one that I was happy with in time. Then I thought maybe I'd go the jam route and make some sweet buns or danish. Ultimately, I wound up making a beautiful, yet simple, loaf of fougasse that is stuffed with roasted red peppers.

The basis for this fougasse is a no-knead olive oil dough that I make often from The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. It comes together in five minutes, it's sturdy, and it freezes nicely. It's great for a simple loaf of white bread, some focaccia, or what we use it for most often - pizza crust!

You can make the dough whenever you have a few moments, and then make this fougasse any time in the next twelve days. Twelve! I roasted a couple of red bell peppers over the open flame on my stove, but you could do it under the broiler or in the oven. Heck, in a pinch you could use storebought...but aside from being really easy to do yourself, I think think freshly roasted ones are more vibrant in color and have more flavor.
Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse
I baked these loaves on the same day that I made a pot of homemade soup, and it was the perfect accompaniment. One thing I will note is that while I normally just tear regular (unstuffed) fougasse apart with my hands, I prefer using a knife to cut this stuffed version...otherwise the roasted pepper tends to slide out whole.

What "RED" thoughts come to mind when you think February?

Simple Olive Oil Dough
Use this easy, no-knead olive oil dough to make a simple bread or pizza crust.
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by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez
Prep Time: 5 minutes + 2 hours or more unattended
Keywords: bread vegan

Ingredients (approximately 3 pounds, 5 ounces dough)
  • 2 3/4 cups (625 grams) lukewarm water
  • 1 tablespoon (10 grams) active dry yeast
  • 1 tablespoon (17 grams) kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon (15 grams) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (55 grams) olive oil
  • 6 1/2 cups (920 grams) all-purpose flour
Instructions
In a 6-quart container or bowl, mix the water with the yeast, salt, sugar, and olive oil. Add the flour and use a wooden spoon or dough whisk to stir everything until combined; you'll probably need to use your hands to incorporate the last of the flour.

Cover loosely (just set a sheet of plastic cling wrap over the top) and let sit at room temperature until the dough has risen and collapsed back onto itself, about 2 hours.

At this point, the dough is ready to be used. Use right away, or secure the plastic wrap with a large rubberband and put the container into the refrigerator. Use refrigerated dough within 12 days.
Olive Oil Dough
Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse
Ruby red roasted peppers peek from the slits in this flatbread and infuse it with flavor.
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by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Keywords: bake bread vegan roasted red peppers

Ingredients (2 small loaves)
  • 1 pound olive oil dough
  • 2 red bell peppers - roasted, skinned, stemmed, and seeded
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • kosher salt
  • olive oil
Instructions
Set a baking stone on the center rack of your oven. Place a metal pan or tray on the bottom shelf. Preheat oven to 450° F.

Lightly flour your work surface and divide the dough into two 1/2-pound portions. Working one at a time, form each portion of dough into a ball, then roll out into a ovalish-rectangle that is about 1/8-inch thick. Sprinkle more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking. Set the dough on a pizza peel or rimless cutting board that has been lightly floured.

Rip each roasted pepper into thirds, then line them up on an angle across half of the dough, leaving a border around the edge. Scatter half of the thyme over each portion and then sprinkle with some salt. Cut three slashes in the opposite side of the dough, trying to line them up with the peppers.
forming the fougasse
Wet the edges of the dough (I just use my fingers) and then gently lift and fold the slitted portion of the dough up and set over the peppers. Adjust so that the peppers are resting under the slits and pinch the edges to seal. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil.
dough folded over peppers
Slide the loaves (or do this one at a time if your stone is not large enough) onto the stone. Quickly add 1 cup of very hot water to the metal pan and close the door. Bake for 17-20 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown.Cool slightly before cutting or ripping into pieces and serving.

-both the dough and fougasse recipes are slightly adapted from The New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day by Hertzberg and Francois
Roasted Red Pepper Fougasse

#TwelveLoaves is a monthly bread baking party created by Lora from Savoring Italy and run with the help of Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen, which runs smoothly with the help of our bakers.

This month we'll be baking breads with a RED theme in honor of National Heart Month, Valentine's Day, and the Oscars (red carpet) - any red ingredient goes! For more bread recipes, visit the #TwelveLoaves Pinterest board, or check out last month's mouthwatering selection of #TwelveLoaves enter last month's breads featuring a "new to you" type of flour!


If you'd like to bake along with us this month, share your "RED" themed bread using hashtag #TwelveLoaves!