Olive Fougasse

2 ¾ cups lukewarm water
1 ½ tablespoons granulated yeast
1 ½ tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
¼ cup olive oil
6 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Mix the yeast, salt, sugar and olive oil with the water in large bowl or container.
Mix in the flour using a spoon. You can also use a food processor or a stand mixer with a dough hook.
Cover (not airtight) and allow to rest at room temperature until dough rises and collapses or becomes flat on top. Should take about 2 hours.
Now refrigerate covered (up to 12 days) or use immediately.

Olive Fougasse
(makes 1)

1 grapefruit-sized ball olive oil dough
flour
½ cup fresh olives, chopped
olive oil
rock salt
fresh rosemary, chopped (optional)

Flour the counter and your hands and start molding the dough into a ball. Don’t worry about adding too much flour. Flatten it into a circle about 1cm thick. Sprinkle the olives over the dough and roll it up like a jelly roll. Shape it back into a ball and flatten gently with your hands until about 1cm thick again. It may be easier if you let it sit for a few minutes to relax part way through.

Cut angled slits into the dough with a sharp knife and gently pull the dough apart so the slits become holes. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with rock salt and chopped rosemary. Place on a floured cookie sheet. Preheat oven to 400F and put a cast iron pan in the bottom of the oven. Let the fougasse rise 20 minutes.

Either boil some water or grab some ice cubes and toss them in the hot pan. Put fougasse in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes or until nice and browned.