Fougasse for the Rich and the Poor

Background:

Fougasse is a type of flat bread that originated in the region Provence in southeastern France. It was very easy and a quick bread to bake which greatly appealed to the working class. Only water, flour, and yeast were required to make the bread, but the citizens of Provence during the French Revolution added olive oil to it because their region was well known for creating an abundance of the best-tasting olive oil in France. However, the wealthy aristocrats also began to indulge in this bread and added more spices and herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, and salt in order to increase the flavor of the bread. Fougasse bread was one of the only types of food during the French Revolution that united all of France's social classes since it could be made cheaply or more luxuriously.

Ingredients:

-3/4 cup of hot water (110 degrees Fahrenheit)

-1/2 teaspoon of yeast

-2 cups of flour (whole wheat)

-2 tablespoons of olive oil

-3/4 teaspoon of rosemary

-3/4 teaspoon of thyme

-2 1/2 teaspoons of sea salt

Instructions:

1) Combine yeast and hot water and let it stand until dissolved

2) Add 1/2 cup of flour, herbs, and salt, and olive oil into mixture and stir

3) While stirring, gradually add the rest of the flour until dough forms

4) Knead dough and put it in an covered, oiled bowl and let it rise for about an hour

5) Shape dough into an irregular, flat oval and cut large slits within the dough and let it rise again for 20 minutes while preheating the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit

6) Bake until dough is golden which should be around 20 minutes

7) Cut and enjoy!

The outcome of the Fougasse bread turned out to be more marvelous than the other breads. The flat bread's appearence was very similar to the ones made during the French Revolution and although the texture was more doughy than crunchy (we took it out of the oven too soon) the taste was remarkable. We used the same herbs and sea salt on our Fougasse that mimicked the Fougasse eaten by wealthy aristocrats at the time to understand the true difference in palates between the noble and working classes. We realized that without the herbs and salt, the bread would not hold as much flavor, yet it would still taste better than the grainy buckwheat bread. It was also very simple to make as water, flour, and yeast were the only main ingredients, which would be more available to the lower classes than eggs and milk. In addition, the bread did not need to be cooked much at all in the oven as the flatness and the slits of the bread allowed the Fougasse to have more surface area exposed to the heat. This allowed the bread to be cooked evenly inside and out, whereas a loaf of bread would naturally be much more soft and doughy on the inside than the crust.