Cougnou

The region of Wallonia and French Flanders has managed to keep a vollaard-like loaf alive with the cougnou or cougnolle depending on the region. The shape can be interpreted as a swaddled child, a baby Jesus with a clay button as his belly button. But often the loaf is left plain or a sugar Jesus figure is baked into the dough. These simple buttons are what we have left of the entire art form of patacons, which are connected to the decorative oblaten that were stuck to