The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
Mini Summary: The story of Dolssa and Botille take place on the heels of the Albigensian Crusade and fear blankets a reeling society. Botille and her sisters work to protect Dolssa from her sentence of heresy.They also shelter her from those searching for her to exact the church’s judgement.
What a fascinating read, delving into 14th century French history I knew so little about. I’ve heard in passing about “the Crusades” but haven’t really thought much about them beyond a vague awareness of their brutality. This book addressed some of the disturbing realities of life after a crusade and the founded fear that accompanied the inquisitions.
Fogasa is a traditional bread in Provence and a staple of their diet. It seems like food isn’t mentioned in this book without also having a loaf of fogasa to accompany it. And I can see why this bread has withstood the test of time. It’s delicious, bakes up fast, and is perfect for a tear and share starter with some briny olive tapenade, a soup dipper, or a featured place at a feast!
Fougasse and Olive Tapenade
Course: Bread, DinnerCuisine: FrenchDifficulty: Intermediate2
loaves30
minutes20
minutes2
hoursIngredients
500 grams bread flour, about 4 1/4 cups, plus some for dusting
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
350 ml warm water, about 1 1/2 cups
6 teaspoons chopped fresh herbs, like thyme, oregano, rosemary, sage, basil, etc
4 tablespoons fine cornmeal for shaping
2 teaspoons flaky salt for the top
- Olive Tapenade
1 14 ounce can black olives, drained
20 green olives, drained
20 kalamata olives, drained
2 tablespoons capers
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons dijion mustard
2 anchovies fillets packed in oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoon fresh thyme or basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
- For the Fougasse
- Fit two baking sheets with parchment or silicone baking mats. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of flour and 1-2 tablespoons of the cornmeal onto the parchment/baking mats.
- Pour the warm water and yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer. Let it rest for 5 minutes until it’s foamy. Add in most of the flour and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. With a dough hook attachment, begin kneading on low. Sprinkle in the salt. Increase the mixer speed to medium and let it mix for 5-8 minutes. Add in the herbs and mix for another minute or two until the herbs are well distributed throughout the dough.
- Oil a large bowl and put the dough in, flipping once to oil the top. Cover the dough and let it rise until double, 1-2 hours.
- Once the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide the dough in equal halves.
- Put one half on a baking sheet and press out into a large oval with your fingers. Try to maintain an even thickness. Once the oval takes up about 3/4 of the baking sheet, use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to cut a wheat pattern into the bread. Cut one long or two shorter cuts down the middle, and 5 or 6 angled cuts on each side. Stretch the dough a bit after cutting to exaggerate the holes.
- Put the loaves in a large bag to rise for 20-30 minutes while you heat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Brush each loaf with the reserved tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake until the loaves sound hollow when thumped on the bottom, about 20 minutes.
- For the Tapenade
- Combine all the ingredients into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the desired consistency. Taste and season as needed.
*I prefer mine to be tiny bits rather than a true paste.
I adapted this recipe from Paul Hollywood’s Fresh Herb Fougasse