Socca is a popular street-food in the south of France and northern Italy. It's a cross between a pancake and a flatbread that is naturally gluten free. It should be creamy in the center, not floppy when you pick it up, and have crisp, brown edges. This is a simple recipe that everyone who eats gluten free must try!
In Italy socca is called farinata but in Tuscany specifically they call it cecina. Regardless of the name, socca is most often drizzled with olive oil then sprinkled with sea salt and rosemary. It's meant to be eaten with your fingers and the French love it with a chilled glass of rosé wine. Sounds like Friday night to me!
Ingredients
Of course there are varieties of chickpeas, why wouldn’t there be! What this means for gluten free shoppers is that chickpea flour also goes by garbanzo bean flour, gram flour or besan. Find chickpea flour on Amazon or in East Indian and Mediterranean grocery stores. I sometimes see a brand with a certified gluten free symbol.
- Chickpea flour
- Olive oil - Use the best one you have.
- Sea salt - The real thing, not table salt.
- Rosemary, fresh or dried
See recipe card for exact amounts.
Instructions: How To Make The Best Socca
This is a simple recipe yet there are a few steps to learn before you master it. The traditional way of cooking socca is in a cast iron pan on a roaring wood fire. Let’s assume you won’t be using a wood fire so these are my tips and techniques for the everyday home cook who has a stove and an oven.
- Preheat the oven then preheat the frying pan to achieve the crisp edges without burning your socca or leaving it soft in the middle.
- Sifting chickpea flour ensures there are no lumps in the bottom of the bowl.
- Letting the batter rest allows the starch to gel so the pancake won’t split as it cooks. I've made it many times without resting the batter.
- You want the sweetness of the chickpea to come through so do not roast the flour. (This comment is for super tasters and I’m not one of those.)
Now just get in the kitchen and mess around. Try all methods; use the oven and the broiler, try cooking socca on the stove or a pancake griddle. Try different pans and use a cast iron pan if you have one. Add seasoning to the batter or on top.
To use up all the batter at once I make my socca in two cast iron pans. I just happen to have a 10-inch one and a 7-inch one so that's what I use.
Variations
You can make socca however you want in your kitchen with different seasoning and cooking methods. There is no end to the possibilities so this is a must try bread for all gluten free cooks. Follow #socca on Instagram and you’ll see people making socca pizza, socca rolled up and stuffed like a crepe, socca sandwiches and even socca lasagne.
Get The Tools
Socca is best made in a cast iron frying pan. If you don’t have one ask around and someone might be happy to lend you the one they have with their camping supplies. If you're ready to buy one here are two options:
I still feel like I have more to learn but I enjoy my socca every time I make it and have often mixed it and cooked it on the stove without the resting time.
Top Tip
Make sure you buy chickpea flour. Chickpeas and fava beans are not the same. For this recipe you want chickpea flour; not bean flour, not fava bean flour and not a blend that combines or includes either of them.
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Socca
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour sifted
- 1¼ cups water
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- additional oil for frying
- OPTIONAL GARNISH – olive oil, sea salt and fresh or dried rosemary
Instructions
- Measure chickpea flour, water, salt and olive oil in large bowl. Whisk until combined.
- Let the batter rest for 30 minutes.*
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Add olive oil to the cast iron pan and swirl to cover the entire bottom of the pan. Place in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
- Remove pan from oven and pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan coming up the sides slightly. The amount of batter will depend on the size of your pan.
OVEN METHOD: 15-18 minutes
- Return pan to oven and cook socca until the edges are crisp and brown but not burnt, 15-18 minutes.
BROILER METHOD: 6-8 minutes
- Change oven setting to broil and place pan under broiler until the top is brown and blistered, 6-8 minutes. Adjust rack if it browns too quickly or too slowly.
SERVING
- Remove socca to cutting board. Sprinkle with olive oil, sea salt and rosemary.
- Cut into wedges and serve warm.
- Repeat with remaining batter cooking in batches based on the size of your pan(s).
- Makes 1⅔ cups batter. Can easily be halved or doubled.
Erin Maynard
One option mentioned is to let the batter sit overnight. Is this refrigerated or left on the counter? Thank you. 🙂
Cinde Little
Oops, I missed that Erin. I let it sit overnight in the fridge. Then skim off the foam and bake. Thanks for asking!