Lemon-Rosemary Fougasse

I got the basic ideas for this fougasse from this recipe on epicurious:

• 3 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F)
• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast
• 5 cups semolina flour* (pasta flour; about 30 ounces), divided
• 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all-purpose flour, divided
• 2 tablespoons finely grated lemon peel
• 4 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary

The explanations and methods are too complex for my liking, so I adapted it to my current methods. I haven't worked with semolina flour before, so I experimented using both semolina and bread flour. I also started it this morning and am impatient, so I used lots of yeast and some sugar too:

• 1 1/2 cups semolina flour
• 1 3/4 cups bread flour
• 1 Tbsp yeast
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp sugar
• 1 spring's-worth of Rosemary, chopped finely
  
• zest of 1/2 lemon

Put the dough in a bowl in a the oven to rise. I usually warm the oven by turning it on for 10 to 20 seconds then turning it off, repeating every now and then. When I re-warmed the oven after 1 hour, I accidentally left the heat on for a few minutes. I ran and pulled the dough out; it measured at 89F, which is perfectly fine. The most ideal temperature range for yeast to thrive is from 86F to 98F (30C to 37C). Anything hotter than 122F (50C) will kill the yeast.

I shaped the dough into an oval and cut the leaf-like design into them, this time going right through in order to create holes... According to the epicurious recipe, referenced above, fougasse was originally made this way so that a field workers could "slip his arm through and carry the bread to work along with his tools." Brushed it with grapeseed oil, proofed uncovered for 30 minutes, sprinkled with coarse salt, and baked at 450F for 30 minutes.

The resulting fougasse has a crunchy crust, with a refreshingly lemony flavor, and moist crumb. I'm not totally sure why it's so crunchy, but I think it's a mix between using semolina, and letting it proof uncovered. Next time I would increase the amount of bread flour from 1 3/4 cups to 2 cups so that the crumb is just a little less moist.