For Sawyer’s French class holiday party, he wanted to bring in some bread. Since he brought in baguettes for the last party, he wanted to choose something different. We found a French holiday Fougasse recipe in my Mom’s Celebration Breads cookbook that is sweet to the tongue and interesting to the eye. I love baking with Sawyer – he’s a natural in the kitchen.




We made a double recipe so he could have a large loaf for the party and several smaller loaves to give as gifts to his teachers. The bread comes out light, sweet and with a unique orange-anise flavor that isn’t overbearing.
This particular Fougasse is called la pompe à l’huile which means the oil pump (and refers to the olive oil in the recipe).





Fougasse (la pompe à l’huile)
For Sawyer's French class holiday party, he wanted to bring in some bread. Since he brought in baguettes for the last party, he wanted to choose something different: a fougasse that is sweet to the tongue and interesting to the eye.
Ingredients
For the sponge
- 1 scant tablespoon (or 1 ¼-ounce package) active dry yeast
- ¾ cup warm water about 110 degrees
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
For the dough
- 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tablespoon orange flower water *
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- 1 teaspoon anise seeds crushed
- 2½-3½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
For the topping
- olive oil to brush over finished loaves
- confectioner's sugar to sprinkle over finished loaves
Instructions
-
In a large bowl, sprinkle the yeast in the water to soften. Add the sugar and flour and beat vigorously for 2 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.
-
Add the sugar, oil, orange flower water, salt, zest, anise, and 1 cup of the flour to the sponge. Beat vigorously for two minutes.
-
Gradually add the remaining flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough begins to pull away from the side of the bowl.
-
Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead, adding flour a little at a time, until the dough is smooth and elastic.
-
Put the dough in an oiled bowl and turn to coat the entire ball of dough with oil. Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise until doubled, about one hour.
-
Turn the dough out onto a lightly oiled work surface and pat into a 10 by 14-inch rectangle with rounded corners. Carefully place on a parchment-lined or well-greased baking sheet, reshaping if necessary.
-
Cover with a tightly woven towel and let rise for 35 minutes. The dough will not double.
-
Using a sharp knife or razor blade cut diagonal slits all the way through the dough, starting about 1 inch from the center of the loaf and ending about one inch from the outside edge. Gently spread the slits open to about 1 inch. Cover and let rise for 10 minutes.
-
About 10 minutes before baking, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
-
Bake for 20 minutes until the internal temperature of the bread reaches 190 degrees. Immediately remove bread from the baking sheet and place on a rack to cool.
-
Brush with additional olive oil. Just before serving, sprinkle the Fougasse with confectioner's sugar.