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–+ servings
A cast iron frying pan with cooked socca cut in wedges.

Socca

Socca is a popular street-food from the south of France and northern Italy. This unleavened pancake is made from chickpea flour so is a must try for everyone cooking gluten free. The possibilities are endless!
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Course: Baking, Bread, Rice Free Baking
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: chickpea flour flatbread, socca
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 18 minutes
Optional Resting Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 8 people
Author: Cinde Little

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.

Notes

Perfectly cooked socca will not be soft in the middle. This isn't difficult but it does take practise. Try all the methods and see what works best for you.
Soft Pancake Socca - You can also cook socca on the stove or a griddle like you would cook pancakes or crepes. This makes for a super quick wrap or rolled pancake-style bread. For the blistered top try a combination of cooking socca on the stove and finishing it under the broiler.
Best Pan for Socca - Cast iron is ideal but don't skip this recipe if you don't have one.
Pan Size - I use two cast iron pans; a 10-inch and an 8-inch pan. I pour 1 cup of batter into the 10-inch pan and ⅔ cup into the 8-inch pan cooking all of the batter at once.
*I've made this recipe immediately after mixing the flour and water as well as letting the batter rest for 30 minutes. I can't tell the difference but the majority of recipes recommend this. You can also let the batter sit overnight then skim off the foam on top to decrease digestive gas.