Fougasse

'The Fougasse Smile' is how Richard Bertinet refers to the sense of achievement felt by people on his beginners baking course when they first take the bread out of the oven.  It looks beautiful with its leaf shaped structure, crisp crust and soft interior.

I first made this bread at a Bertinet bread course at the Bertinet kitchen in Bath (http://www.thebertinetkitchen.com/).  I love the atmosphere, setting and lunch of these courses and over the years have done bread, vienoisserie, pastry and chocolate courses.  The classes are small and you properly make the breads and pastries, so it's not just watching someone demonstrate the technique.  I also love Bath with its stunning architecture and spa  - I really must go again sometime.

I adapted Richard Bertinet's recipe for the rosemary and thyme fougasse to continue my GBBO technical challenges. It's pretty similar to Paul Hollywoods but I prefer the shape of the Bertinet bread.  We ate it with a roasted red pepper and tomato soup, which went really well.

Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup

250g Cherry Tomatoes
1 Red Pepper Thickly sliced
1 Onion Sliced
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Water
Salt
Pepper

Place the tomatoes, pepper, onions and garlic into a small roasting tin. Coat with the oil and a twist of black pepper.  Place in an oven at 200 C and roast for about 40 minutes or until the tomatoes and peppers caramelise.  Place the roasted vegetables in a saucepan or food processor and cover with water or stock.  Blitz until smooth and adjust the thickness and the seasoning.

The soup can be left as it is or adapted by adding herbs like rosemary and thyme, chilli or paprika