How to Shape Fougasse

The Provençal flat bread known as fougasse is a crust lover's dream: It's flattened and scored, which maximizes the surface area that gets exposed to direct heat but still leaves plenty of room for toppings, such as olives, herbs, sea salt, and cracked pepper. Here's how to form the dough (see Fougasse for the full recipe).

1. Once the dough has risen, uncover it and transfer it to a floured work surface. Flatten it with your hands into a thick disk and divide the disk into 5 equal-size wedges.

2. Roll out each dough wedge into an 8" x 5" triangle about 1/4" thick. Place each triangle on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and lightly dusted with cornmeal.

3. Make three lengthwise slashes in each triangle, as well as one smaller slash below the middle slash. Gently pull apart gaps. Cover dough with a damp towel; let sit 30 minutes.

4. Uncover each dough piece. Sprinkle the dough with toppings, taking care to distribute them evenly and to avoid the gaps. Place baking sheet in the oven and bake.