Thyme Fougasse

Put the mushrooms into a heatproof bowl, breaking up any very large pieces, and pour over the boiling water. Leave the mushrooms to soak until the water has cooled to room temperature.

Put both flours, the salt, yeast and thyme into a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a large free-standing electric mixer. Mix well with your hand or the dough hook attachment on the lowest speed. Make a well in the flour mixture.

Drain the mushrooms in a sieve set over a measuring jug, pressing down on the mushrooms to extract all the liquid. Add the mushrooms into the well in the flour. Measure the mushroom liquid and make it up to the original amount with lukewarm water. Pour into the well. Mix everything together with your hand or the dough hook attachment (on lowest speed) to make a soft but not sticky dough. If the dough feels dry and is hard to bring together, or there are dry crumbs in the bottom of the bowl, work in more water a tablespoon at a time, if the dough is very sticky, work in a little more flour.

Lightly dust your hands and the worktop with flour, then turn out the dough. Knead for about 10 minutes until it feels very stretchy and elastic (or for 5 minutes in the mixer with the dough hook on lowest speed). Flour your fingers again, then pat out the dough to an oval about 25 x 20 cm. Carefully lift it on to a sheet of baking paper. Cover loosely with a dry tea towel or clingfilm. Leave on the worktop to rise for about a1 hour until doubled in size.

Towards the end of the rising time, heat your oven to 230°C/450°F/gas 8. Put in the baking sheet to heat up plus an empty roasting tin on the floor of the oven.

Uncover the loaf. If using, scatter the thyme leaves and sea salt flakes evenly over the surface. With a small, sharp knife cut 5 slits, about 10 cm long, in the dough (rather like veins in a leaf), then gently open them out to make lozenge-shaped holes about 6 cm wide.

Remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and set it on a heatproof surface. Carefully lift the loaf, on the sheet of baking paper, on to the baking sheet and place it back in the oven. Add a cup of cold water or handful of ice cubes to the hot roasting tin, then quickly shut the oven door. Bake for about 12 minutes until the bread is a good golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the base. Transfer the bread to a wire rack to cool for a few minutes, then eat warm.