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Sourdough Ghost Fougasse (Easy Halloween Bread)

Sourdough ghost fougasse with kalamata olives and herbes de Provence, brushed with garlic Parmesan oil.
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This sourdough ghost fougasse is a crisp Halloween bread with black olives and herbes de Provence, shaped like a ghost. It rises with a natural starter and finishes with a brush of olive oil mixed with garlic, parsley, and Parmesan.

Ingredients

Scale

For the levain (an active starter):

  • 35 g sourdough starter
  • 35 g bread flour
  • 35 g water

For the dough:

  • 450 g bread flour (I use King Arthur bread flour)
  • 50 g whole wheat flour (I use Bob's Red Mill whole wheat flour)
  • 375 g water (75% hydration)
  • 100 g levain (active starter at peak)
  • 10 g fine sea salt (I use Redmond fine sea salt)
  • 3.5 g dried Herbes de Provence (0.7%, about 1 tablespoon)
  • 65 g sliced black olives (or whole pitted olives, chopped), drained and patted dry
  • Olive oil, for brushing before baking
  • White rice flour, for dusting

For the garlic parsley Parmesan oil:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small garlic clove, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan

Instructions

  1. Autolyse: In a large bowl, mix the bread flour, whole wheat flour, and water until no dry flour remains. Cover and let rest until the dough looks smoother and stretches a little.
  2. Add levain and salt: Add the levain and squeeze it in with wet hands until fully mixed. Bulk fermentation starts. Sprinkle in the salt and mix it in. Cover and let the dough relax for 30 minutes.
  3. Fold the dough: With wet hands, do two sets of stretch and folds followed by one set of coil folds, with a 30-minute rest between each set.
  4. Laminate and add the herbs and olives: Stretch the dough into a thin rectangle on a lightly wet counter. Scatter the olives over it and sprinkle with the herbes de Provence. Fold into thirds from the long side, then into thirds from the short side. Return it to the bowl and cover.
  5. Continue bulk fermentation: Let the dough rise until it has grown about 40-45% at 73°F (23°C), has a domed top, and shows bubbles on the surface and sides.
  6. Divide and preshape: Tip the dough onto a counter lightly dusted with rice flour and divide it into two equal pieces. Shape each into a loose oval and place it on its own sheet of parchment. Cover and let each oval rest until relaxed.
  7. Shape the ghosts: With oiled fingers, press each oval into a ghost shape about 5/8 inch (1.5 cm) thick, with a rounded top and a narrower bottom. Cut two eyes with the wide end of a piping tip dipped in water. With a bench scraper, cut a short slit below the eyes for the mouth. Cut all the way through to the parchment. Pull the holes wide open with oiled fingers.
  8. Final proof: Cover loosely (I use an upside-down baking sheet). Proof on the counter until puffy and the dough springs back slowly when pressed, 1 to 2 hours at 73°F (23°C).
  9. Bake: Preheat the oven to 430°F (221°C) with a baking sheet inside. Reopen any holes that closed with oiled fingers. Brush the dough with olive oil. Slide the parchment onto the hot baking sheet and bake without steam for 20 to 25 minutes, until deep golden brown.
  10. Brush with garlic parsley Parmesan oil: Mix the olive oil, garlic, parsley, and Parmesan. Brush it over the hot fougasse right out of the oven. Cool briefly on a wire rack and serve warm.

Notes

  • Olives and herbs: Add them during lamination, or during the first set of stretch and folds if you don't laminate.
  • Big holes: Stretch the cuts wider than you want. They shrink as the dough rises.
  • No steam needed: Fougasse is thin and bakes fast, so I bake it without steam. The olive oil brushed on before baking gives it a golden, crisp crust.
  • Mini ghosts: Divide the dough into six or eight pieces and shape small ghosts for dipping in soup. Start checking them after about 12 minutes in the oven.
  • Skull version: Shape a round top with a narrow jaw. Cut eye sockets, a triangle nose, and slits for teeth.
  • Make ahead: End bulk a little earlier, shape, cover well, and refrigerate overnight. Let the ghosts warm up and look puffy before baking.
  • Doneness: Bake until deep golden brown, with an internal temperature of 205°F (96°C) or higher.
  • Custom formula: Use my sourdough calculator to scale the recipe.
  • Nutrition: Nutrition is per fougasse and includes the levain and the garlic parsley Parmesan oil. It does not include the olive oil brushed on before baking or the rice flour used for dusting.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://sourdoughtalk.com/sourdough-ghost-fougasse/