Roquefort and Walnut Fougasse

I came across this recipe in '200 Fast and Easy Artisan Breads' - a great book about making artisan breads at home.

I actually didn't know what a fougasse was until googling it. I'm glad I did, because I found out that it's a type of French bread: almost their version of a focaccia or pizza, but with the fillings baked in. It's also usually got an oval shape, with deep incisions that make it look like a leaf; this makes it easy to pull apart at the dinner table.

Fougasse:

• 1 1/2 cups crumbled Roquefort or other good-quality blue cheese (I used Stilton)
• 1 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/2 recipe prepared Easy Artisan Dough
• 1 Tbsp olive oil

My dough was a variation of the "Easy Artisan Dough." I used:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup white bread flour
• 1 1/2 cups tepid water
• 1/2 tspn yeast
• 1 tspn salt

(The regular version uses only white bread flour and 1 1/4 Tbsp yeast. I used very little yeast so that I could let it grow overnight and develop more flavor.)

Mixed in the walnuts and cheese after the dough rose, let it sit for 30 minutes, then baked in a 400F oven for 35 minutes until golden brown.

Needless to say, this turned out great.