Fougasse

1. Pour the lukewarm water into a small bowl, add the yeast and sugar, stir, and let it stand for 10 minutes until it activates.

2. Sift the pizza flour into a large mixing bowl. Add the salt and mix. Make a well in the center, pour in the yeasted water and the oil, and work the dough together with a spatula. Then switch to your hands and knead for 8–10 minutes.

3. Cover the bowl and let it rise until doubled, about an hour.

4. Turn the risen dough out onto a lightly floured surface. You can leave it whole if you want to bake one large fougasse, or divide it into 2, 3, or 4 pieces to make smaller, single-serving breads.

5. Stretch the dough into a rectangle about half a centimeter (¼ in) thick. With a dough scraper or knife, make a cut down the middle, then three diagonal cuts on each side so it resembles the veins of a leaf. Pull the dough apart so the cuts open up.

6. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, let it rise until doubled again, 40–50 minutes.

7. Preheat the oven to 200 °C (390 °F) conventional, top-and-bottom heat (180 °C / 350 °F with convection). Bake the risen dough for 20–25 minutes until done.