Herb And Parmesan Fougasse

Easter 2024. The last major holiday before the wedding. In ten weeks I'll be married. In ten weeks Megan O'Brien becomes Megan Kowalski. The thought still makes my chest tight in the best possible way.

Easter at Tom and Linda's. Both families. I made the zurek, the pierogi, the golabki. Linda made ham. Colleen brought soda bread and deviled eggs and a ham glaze recipe she found online that was, by everyone's admission, better than anything anyone expected from a Pinterest recipe. Patrick said, "My wife found something good on the internet." Like it was a miracle. Colleen said, "I find good things everywhere." She does. She really does.

After dinner, the conversation turned to the wedding. Tom and Patrick sat in the living room and discussed logistics with the seriousness of two men planning a military operation. "What time does the bus pick up?" "Where does the photographer stage?" "Is there enough parking at the Polish Center?" They have opinions. They have concerns. They have the particular energy of fathers who want their children's wedding to be perfect and don't know how to express this except through parking logistics.

Linda and Colleen disappeared into the kitchen for an hour. When they emerged, they announced that they would be making additional side dishes for the reception — Linda's deviled eggs and Colleen's Irish soda bread — "as a surprise for the kids." The kids are twenty-seven years old. The kids are getting married. The kids are still kids to these mothers. We always will be.

Made makowiec — poppy seed roll — for Easter dessert. Babcia's recipe, the one I've been making since she died. Every time I roll the dough and spread the poppy seed filling and roll it tight, I think of her hands doing the same thing. My hands are bigger. My technique is rougher. But the roll is right. The roll is always right.

Babcia’s makowiec is unrepeatable — I know that — but the act of working dough with your hands is something that translates across every tradition, every table, every family that has ever fed people it loves. This Easter, with both families together under one roof for the last time before Megan and I become something new together, I wanted to share that feeling: the weight of the dough, the rhythm of the rolling, the particular satisfaction of pulling something beautiful out of an oven you’ve been tending all afternoon. This herb and Parmesan fougasse isn’t Polish, and it isn’t Babcia’s — but it’s made the same way she made things, by hand, with patience, for the people sitting at your table.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 1 hr 55 min (includes rise) | Servings: 8

Ingredients

3 cups (360g) all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 1/4 tsp (one packet) active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup warm water (about 110°F)
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, divided
Flaky sea salt, for finishing

Instructions

Activate the yeast. Combine warm water, sugar, and yeast in a large bowl. Let sit 5–10 minutes until foamy. If it doesn’t foam, your water was too hot or too cold — start again.
Make the dough. Add olive oil, salt, rosemary, thyme, and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan to the yeast mixture. Add flour one cup at a time, stirring until a shaggy dough forms. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. The dough should spring back slowly when pressed.
First rise. Shape the dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
Shape the fougasse. Preheat your oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Punch down the dough and turn it out onto the prepared sheet. Using your hands, stretch and press the dough into a rough oval or leaf shape, about 12 inches long and 1/2 inch thick. Using a bench scraper or sharp knife, cut one long slash down the center (not all the way to the edges) and four to five diagonal slashes on each side. Gently pull the cuts open with your fingers to create the classic fougasse leaf pattern.
Second rise and finish. Let the shaped fougasse rest uncovered for 15 minutes. Drizzle generously with olive oil, scatter the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan over the top, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt.
Bake. Bake 18–22 minutes until deep golden brown and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before tearing and serving warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Herb And Parmesan Fougasse — The Dough That Remembers Her Hands