FOUGASSE WITH APRICOTS AND THYME

60 MINS plus proving time

MAKES 1 (30x20cm)

A bread recipe celebrated throughout Provence and beyond, slashed authentically but with apricots, honey and thyme in the mix, and slathered with goat’s cheese.

— 5g dried yeast

— 1 tsp runny honey or caster sugar

— 1 tbsp good olive oil, plus more for greasing and drizzling

— 350g strong white bread flour

— 2 apricots, each stoned and sliced into 8

— ½ tsp flaky salt, for sprinkling

— 3 good thyme sprigs, leaves picked if the stems are woody

— soft goat’s cheese or fullfat cream cheese, to serve

Pour 200ml warm water into a jug and add the yeast, honey or sugar, and olive oil.

Put the flour in a large mixing bowl and add the yeast liquid. Mix vigorously, then add a teaspoon of salt, mixing well to form a cohesive mass. Tip out the dough on to a lightly floured or oiled surface and knead well for at least five minutes, until the dough is smooth and elastic with a good sheen on its surface. (Use an electric mixer with a dough hook, if you prefer.) Place the dough in an oiled bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Leave to rise somewhere warm for one hour or so, until doubled in size.

Tip out the risen dough on to a baking tray lined with baking paper and press with fingers into a roughly oblong shape (about 30 x 20cm). Drizzle with a little olive oil, gently press the slices of apricot into the dough and sprinkle with the flaky salt and thyme. Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife to make two distinct cuts down the middle of the dough, then to make four or five diagonal cuts either side of the central cuts to form a leaf design. Stretch the dough out to emphasise the holes. Cover again and allow to prove for about 45 minutes, until nicely risen.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas mark 7.

Bake for about 13-15 minutes, until golden brown and the base sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the oven and, while still hot, brush or drizzle the fougasse all over with a little extra olive oil. Serve warm, torn into pieces and slathered with goat’s cheese or cream cheese.