Christmas fougasse

 .In a last post i give recipe for the sweet Christmas foufasse .Today i am giving you the recipe for festive mushroom fougasse  which is a Provençal or Italian-inspired starter . The Christmas fougasse served cut out on large plates or on a wooden board for a nice look.

Baking time ; 30 minutes

Servings ; Depend on the size of serving

Ingredients

Dough

500g strong plain flour

1tsp salt

1tsp fresh yeast

325 ml lukewarm water

filling

150 g ham 

200 g   button mushrooms

4  ripe tomatoes

3 onions

2 cloves garlic

whole spices wrapped in a cloth( boquet garni)

5 tbsp. tablespoon olive oil

salt

pepper

Preparation

In a large bowl, place the flour and salt together. Dissolve the yeast in the lukewarm water and gradually add to the flour. Mix well until you obtain a dough. Knead well for couple of minutes.

Shape the dough into a ball and leave to rest covered with a cloth for 5 minutes.

After this time you will find the dough much more pliable to work with. Knead the dough and split into two.

Knead each piece for a couple of minutes each and form into balls. Leave to rise in a warm place for 30 minutes

Peel the onions and garlic cloves, slice them. Peel and seed the tomatoes, cut the pulp into cubes. Cut off the earthy ends of the button mushrooms, then rub them in a cloth before slicing them finely.

In 2 tbsp. tablespoons olive oil, brown the onions and garlic over medium heat, add the bouquet garni. Add  the tomato pulp, reduce, salt and pepper. In another pan, brown the button mushrooms in 2 tbsp. olive oil. Preheat the oven to 240 ° C.

 Spread the two dough pieces out on a floured work surface so as to obtain two oval dough of the same size. On the first, make 3 or 4 notches obliquely. On the second, distribute the filling: the tomato sauce, the cubed ham and the sliced ​​mushrooms. Season. Cover with the form bearing the notches, weld the edges of the bottom with a little water. With a brush, brush with a spoonful of the remaining olive oil.

Bake and cook for 30 minutes.

Enjoy hot, straight out of the oven .