Making Rose's Walnut Fougasse
was certainly a learning experience.
I had no idea what this should be.
After reading the instructions
a few times,
I played it safe and made a list.
Dough after the first rise
There are so few ingredients;
unbleached flour, yeast, salt,
milk, walnuts and walnut oil.
The texture of the dough is very stiff
compared to other breads we have made.
After each rising, and there are three with
additional rest times,
the dough becomes fluffier.
It was a bit tricky kneading in the walnuts.
They kept wanting to pop out.
Didn't open the slits wide enough
With so much oil added in between risings,
I had difficulty getting the bread to knead
back together.
I would really like to see a video of
Rose making this bread.
I did tent the bread with foil
for the last few minutes
until the internal temperature was reached.
When I pulled it out,
all I could think of was
the Disney song from Peter Pan
"Never smile at a crocodile"
I will say this is an amazingly
textured bread.
It reminds me of our family's
very favorite pizza crust
from an authentic Italian pizzeria,
minus the walnuts.
This bread peaked my curiosity
and I've spent a fair amount of
time watching different bakers
making it on youtube.
I'll definitely have another go at Fougasse.
Oh, and the house smells wonderful!
~
by
Rose Levy Beranbaum
