Fougasse With Olive Tapenade

I was looking for a fun appetizer prior to a French meal I had planned. I thought modifying a traditional Fougasse recipe and putting the olives "on the side" as it were would work. The tapenade ingredients are quite salty therefore I skipped the fleur de sel as well as the olives on the fougasse. Give it a try, let me know.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 12
• Yields: 1/2 cup

Ingredients

• Fougasse

• 500  g bread flour or 500  g all-purpose flour
• 4 1⁄2 teaspoons fast rising yeast
• 1  teaspoon fine sea salt
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 400  ml warm water (110 degrees)
• 1⁄4 cup  rough chopped fresh rosemary or 1⁄4 cup fresh thyme
• 1  dozen black olives, rough chopped (optional)
• 1 -2  teaspoon fleur de sel (optional)

• Tapenade

• 2  garlic cloves, rough cut
• 1⁄2 cup black olives, pitted
• 1  anchovy fillet, rinsed well
• 2  tablespoons capers, drained
• 3 -4  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  teaspoon lemon juice
•  pepper

Directions

1. Fougasse.
2. Combine flour, yeast, salt and oil in a stand mixer bowl.
3. With dough hook attached and running on medium low (3 on my Kitchenaid) add all but a few Tbsp of the water.
4. Continue "kneading" the dough for about 4 minutes. The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl. Add more water as necessary.
5. Alternatively use a large bowl and a wooden spoon or Danish whisk to combine then turn the dough out to a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes by hand.
6. Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size.minimum 1 hour.
7. Preheat oven to 425f.
8. Gently scrape the dough into a large baking pan, pulling the dough to fit within the pan.
9. Let the dough rest for 20 minutes more.
10. Dress the top of the bread with the herbs.
11. If using the olives and salt, press the olives into the dough and lightly sprinkle the top with the fleur de sel.
12. Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown.
13. Remove and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
14. Cut into small bite sized pieces.
15. Tapenade.
16. Pulse the garlic, olives, anchovy, and capers in a small food processor until pureed.
17. Continue pulsing and add 1 Tbsp of olive oil at a time until all the ingredients come together.
18. Add lemon juice and pepper to garnish.