Socca Recipe

Truth be told, I am a huge fan of garbanzo bean flour. By huge, I mean massive . . . like I can’t get enough of the good stuff. I’ve developed many recipes using garbanzo bean flour, but today I’m here to share a recipe I did not develop, but I make on a regular basis and have adapted to suit my needs. I feel like its delicious simplicity needs to be shared! Socca, farinata, cecina or torta di ceci--whatever you want to call it, you will want to make this amazing flatbread. Trust me on this. It originates from Southeast France and can range from being served as a thin crepe to being baked thicker to use as a pizza crust, as I will share with you here. I typically bake it in different shapes and sizes to accommodate whatever I'm using it for. Here I will give you three examples of how I bake socca so you have choices. Everybody loves choices . . . right?! Baking socca in a 10-inch round cast iron skillet gives you a beautifully crispy round pizza. So crispy and delicious! Baking socca in a regular bread pan gives you a fun flatbread pizza! I either cut the recipe in half if I'm baking one or make the full recipe and bake this in two bread pans. So crispy and delicious! Are you catching on to my theme here . . . or my love of crispy and delicious? Last, but definitely not least is hors d'oeuvre size. These little babies are perfect for using with a dip, topping with your favorite cracker toppings, or making mini pizzas! Baking these in a muffin pan will give you 12 rounds to play with. You will also notice I gave you options for adding olive oil. I have found that if you add the oil to the recipe, it makes a softer cracker. It will still crisp up on the outside, but the socca will be a bit softer in the center. Delicious, but when I make pizzas, I like it crisp all the way through. Also, you are welcome to add herbs as desired. Rosemary is absolutely delicious in socca!

Socca Flatbread

Makes one 10-inch flatbread

• 1 cup Garbanzo Bean Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/4 tsp Pepper
• 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder (optional)
• 1 cup Warm Water
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil (optional)
• Fresh or Dried Herbs (optional)

In a bowl, mix the garbanzo bean flour, salt, pepper and garlic powder together. Whisk the water and olive oil into the flour mixture until completely combined. Set this mixture aside while you preheat your oven to 450°F. Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet in the oven while it preheats. Liberally grease the heated skillet with olive oil (I use olive oil spray to do this so I can coat the pan well). Pour the batter into the heated pan and bake for 15 minutes or until set and golden brown. Remove from pan and serve immediately. Note **If baking in a bread pan, either cut the recipe in half for one or split the batter between two pans. Also to make things easy for removal, line the bread pan with parchment paper, coat it liberally with olive oil spray, place the pan in a preheated 450°F oven and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. **If baking in a muffin pan, coat liberally with olive oil, place the pan in a preheated 450°F oven and bake for 10 minutes or until golden brown. **To make pizzas, remove baked socca from the pan. Place the flatbread on a baking sheet. Top the flatbread with your favorite pizza toppings. Bake for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Be careful to watch and make sure the toppings don't burn. I made a pepperoni and cheese one on the round version and a vegan flatbread with hummus and vegetables for the bread pan shape.