For various reasons, I keep a supply of gluten-free flours on hand, mostly due to, I am sad to say, my brief efforts at gluten-free baking. These days, I mostly use these flours for specific recipes, and, sigh, thickeners. The lesson I took away from my naive, young, wide-eyed baking experiment was that it took too many ingredients, too much time. Continue reading “Gluten-Free Pantry — GF Flours to Keep on Hand”
Tag: chickpea flour
Socca: An Easy, Naturally Gluten-Free Flatbread
I have a weakness for all things garbanzo bean. Garbanzos (or chickpeas, if you prefer) are the basis for my beloved falafel. And, of course, the highly addictive hummus. Baked or fried (I prefer baked) garbanzos are, I believe, the snack of the future. Give me a salad with garbanzo beans, and I will leave and extra tip.
As I’ve been thinking about gluten-free breads, I’ve been researching naturally gluten-free breads. And by naturally, I mean breads that don’t require a mix of five different flours before they’re added to a mix of five different flours. Simple, minimal ingredient breads that just happen to be gluten free. Continue reading “Socca: An Easy, Naturally Gluten-Free Flatbread”
Socca (Chickpea Flatbreads)
Socca, and its cousins farinata, cecina, tortillata, or fainá (among others), is probably the best gluten-free bread you’ve never heard of. At its most basic, it consists of three ingredients: chickpea (garbanzo bean0 flour, water, and olive oil. These ingredients are mixed together, the batter is poured into a hot pan or skillet, baked until crisp and brown.
Simple, huh? As you can imagine, any food that simple has be delicious and flexible. Socca (and relatives) takes on different flavors based on how you choose to season it. Want to keep it basic? Fresh rosemary is traditional. Thyme is delicious. Za’atar is unusual — or not, since this dish has a Middle Eastern cousin. Even Indian spices work well here.
Socca is traditionally thin and a bit crisp on the outside, but still flexible. Farinata, or those I’ve encountered, are a bit thicker. Much of the final product depends on how thick your batter is — for the recipe, I’m suggesting a medium-weight batter. Make it thicker or thinner according to your taste.
Hint: since this is a great flatbread, you can also treat it a bit like a pizza, with great toppings!