Red onion, Gruyère & rosemary fougasse

Red onion, Gruyère & rosemary fougasse

This flat, round fougasse loaf is very popular all over France and is a cousin of the Italian focaccia

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 2, serves 3-4 (1 loaf)

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 20 mins

plus rising
Freezable

Freeze cooled loaf, wrapped, for up to 1 month

Method

  1. Tip the flour into a mixing bowl. For easy-blend dried yeast, stir this into the flour. For fresh yeast, crumble it and rub into the flour as you would with butter when making pastry. Add the salt and sugar.
  2. Boil the kettle and measure 100ml into a jug. Top up with cold water to the 300ml mark. Test the temperature with your finger - it should feel perfectly hand-hot. Add the oil.
  3. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid all at once. Mix quickly using your hands or a wooden fork to make a soft and slightly sticky dough. Wipe the dough around the bowl to pick up any loose flour.
  4. Sprinkle the work surface with flour and tip out the dough. Knead by stretching it away from you, then folding it in half towards you and pushing it away with the heel of your hand. Give it a quarter turn and repeat, developing a rhythm.
  5. When the dough is smooth, put it back into the mixing bowl, cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 1 hr (no need to find a warm place). The dough is ready when it springs back when you press it with your finger.
  6. Thinly slice the onion and gently cook in the oil until softened, about 5 mins. Cut the Gruyère into small cubes. Chop half the rosemary.
  7. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly knead in the onion and chopped rosemary.
  8. Using a sharp knife, cut the dough in half. Roll or press out one piece of dough to a rectangular shape about 20 x 25cm, then transfer to a baking sheet lined with non-stick paper. Make a large diagonal cut across the centre of the dough almost to the ends. Make three smaller diagonal cuts either side of the large cut to make a leaf shape.
  9. Repeat with the other piece of dough. Stick Gruyère cubes and rosemary sprigs into the dough at intervals, then sprinkle with a little flour and sea salt. Heat oven to 240C/220C fan/gas 8. Leave the loaves to prove for 20 mins then bake for 13-15 mins until golden. Serve warm with soups and starters.

PER SERVING

322 kcalories, protein 11.0g, carbohydrate 49.0g, fat 11.0 g, saturated fat 4.0g, fibre 2.0g, sugar 2.0g, salt 1.96 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2011.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Sian

    22 March 2011

    Sian rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was one of my first attempts at making bread and it was absolutely delicious. I substituted mature cheddar for the gruyere which seemed to work quite well. I will definitely be making this again soon.

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  • Binder photo Tricia

    18 May 2011

    Tricia rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yes,delicious. I used Emmental and added some black olives too.

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  • Binder photo Beth

    22 May 2011

    Beth rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Really nice - though the dough was a little wet - could use a little less water.

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  • Binder photo Tricia

    24 May 2011

    Tricia commented on this recipe

    Yes, I agree. The dough was far too wet.

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  • Binder photo Teresah

    06 June 2011

    Teresah rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yes, the dough was wet, but it made such a soft bread. Excellent

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  • Binder photo Four Candles

    23 June 2011

    Four Candles rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I really loved this - the result looked so impressive, for very little effort. Substituted gruyere with some parmesan, put mixed herbs in, and also added sun-dried tomatoes which worked well. Also made a plain one. Am going to do again next time friends come round for dinner.

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  • Binder photo Georgie

    17 July 2011

    Georgie rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Delicious and really simple!

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  • Binder photo Julie

    28 July 2011

    Julie commented on this recipe

    Made this bread several times for different members of my family and friends - a big hit each time. The gruyere adds a special flavour which is hard to beat, but also good with other cheeses. The first time I made the recipe I also found it rather a rather wet mix, but the best bread is made with wetter rather than drier mix - and it's not hard to add a little extra flour if it doesn't bind together after a good knead. This has already become a family favourite - and its fame is spreading!

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  • Binder photo Babka the Brave

    10 April 2012

    Babka the Brave rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    This came out quite nice in the end and the result is worth 4 or 5 stars, but the process was really stressful due to the provided measurements and/or the instructions being off. As it is, it was impossible to "knead", "roll" or "cut" the dough - way too gooey and wet, even after adding lots of extra flour. It was more of a mix, pour blobs onto the oven tray and hope for the best. If I make it again, I'll use much less water (200ml?) and add it gradually. Otherwise, the gruyere and rosemary combo was great - I wouldn't mess with that in favour of other cheeses and herbs.

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  • Binder photo Emilie M

    22 May 2012

    Emilie M rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo Emilie M

    22 May 2012

    Emilie M rated this recipe

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  • Binder photo Sue

    23 September 2012

    Sue commented on this recipe

    Cooked this today and it was lovely. Used goats cheese instead of the Gruyere and also 200ml water to begin with and added more until dough felt just sticky. Great texture and flavour.

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  • Binder photo Britt

    03 February 2013

    Britt rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    really delicious and easy! One of my first times making bread, I'll definitely be making it again! My family loved it. The dough was wetter as others have said but I still found it fine to work with. I might try using spelt flour next time since I'm not a fan of using all white flour and like to eat less gluten when possible.

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  • Binder photo Jess

    10 March 2013

    Jess rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Love this recipe! Such a great starter or side dish. Great dipped in olive oil and balsamic.

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes 2, serves 3-4 (1 loaf)

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 20 mins

plus rising
Freezable

Freeze cooled loaf, wrapped, for up to 1 month

Ingredients

FOR THE DOUGH

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PER SERVING

322 kcalories, protein 11.0g, carbohydrate 49.0g, fat 11.0 g, saturated fat 4.0g, fibre 2.0g, sugar 2.0g, salt 1.96 g

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