My simple socca (farinata) flatbread is made with chickpea flour, olive oil, water, salt, and pepper, then cooked in a hot skillet until golden with crispy edges. I’ve tested resting the batter for up to overnight, but haven’t noticed much difference, so I skip that step! Ready in 20 minutes, it’s great for dipping, sandwiches, or using as a pizza crust.

an overhead shot of a round socca with parsley laying next to it
Traveling in Europe introduced me to this naturally gluten-free chickpea flour flatbread. Now I make it on repeat using 5 simple ingredients and a skillet.

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Easy Socca Flour Flatbread – Pizza, Dipping, and More!

This may seem rather dramatic, but socca and I are soulmates. Socca gets me and is there when I need it most.

When I create and test my collection of gluten free bread recipes, I usually on GF blends and sometimes supporting starches to replicate the copycat taste and texture we all want. But when making socca flour flatbread it’s all about simplicity, and a single starch, affordable chickpea flour, does the heavy lifting for taste.

Besides that the remaining ingredients are right in your kitchen — water, oil, salt, and pepper, which also means the recipe is not only GF, but dairy-free and vegan as well. Whisk together everything, pour the thin batter onto a hot griddle, similar to pancakes, flip, and voilà! Hot, fresh flatbread perfect for pizza, dips, or open-faced sandwiches is made in minutes.

When I make a batch I usually double the recipe to freeze half. That way when I want to make something like a weeknight pear and brie socca pizza with caramelized onions, it’s as easy as piling on the toppings and baking on a pizza stone.

When I’m in need of an appetizer dipper, I’ll pan-fry wedges and use them similar to crostini or pita chips. You can even fry bite-sized pieces for salad or soup croutons or slather on pesto or hummus for a quick snack.

a hand holding up a farinata flatbread up close

Let’s Make This Together!

(Below shows step-by-step photos and modified instructions. For the complete recipe, along with ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card.)

Dump, whisk, and shortcut

The prep is quick and easy. Pour the ingredients in and whisk to combine. When researching this recipe, I found that, traditionally, it is made by letting the batter sit for up to 30 minutes, even overnight. They do this to hydrate the chickpea flour.

However, when testing it, I didn’t find it to make that much of a difference, especially if you use warm water. So I skip this step.

Olive oil being poured into a bowl with a whisk.
Everything gets mixed on one bowl with a whisk since the batter is thinner.

What’s the right consistency?

After the water’s poured in, lift up the whisk, and it should drip down in a thin stream. This is the consistency you’re looking for. It will be thinner than pancake batter.

A whisk holding up the batter and letting it drip down to show the thin consistency.
You want the batter to be thin enought to spread easily around the pan or griddle and cook in a thin layer.

My cooking technique

The skillet gets a good coating of olive oil so it fries nice and crispy around the edges. I prefer to use a small 8-inch skillet so they cook up in even-sized rounds. Once the batter starts to bubble up and the edges get firm and crispy, it’s time to flip and then cook for another 2 to 3 minutes on the other side.

The socca flour batter, poured on a griddle with crispy edges all around.
When the edges look like this, it’s time to flip.

Making a Socca Pizza Crust

What is the best thing about socca? Pizza night! If you have garbanzo bean (chickpea) flour on hand, you can make a batch of farinata in minutes.

Place the flatbread on a piece of parchment paper and assemble toppings and cheese on top. Preheat oven to 500ºF with a pizza stone or cast iron skillet inside. Once the oven and stone are hot, place parchment with assembled pizza on top and bake for 5-7 minutes.

an overhead shot of socca cut in wedges drizzled with olive oil
Wondering how chickpea flour tastes? I find it very neutral with a hint of creaminess. This makes it the prefect flatbread vessel for pizza crusts or dipping.

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Socca chickpea flatbread is a naturally gluten free bread recipe that can be used for a great tasting gluten free pizza crust. http://www.mamagourmand.com
4.44 stars (30 ratings)

Simple Skillet Socca Flatbread (with Chickpea Flour)

Melissa Erdelac of MamaGourmand headshot in patterned dress.Melissa Erdelac
Yield: 5 flatbreads
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
My simple socca (farinata) flatbread is made with chickpea flour, olive oil, water, salt, and pepper, then cooked in a hot skillet until golden with crispy edges. I've tested resting the batter for up to overnight, but haven't noticed much difference, so I skip that step! Ready in 20 minutes, it's great for dipping, sandwiches, or using as a pizza crust.
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Ingredients
 

Instructions
 

  • Whisk the chickpea flour, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Whisk in water and 3 tablespoons olive oil until combined and smooth. The batter will be thin and runny.
    1 ½ cups chickpea garbanzo bean flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, 1 ½ cups water, 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
  • Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in non-stick 8 inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add ½ cup batter to the skillet, tilting pan to coat bottom evenly. Cook until crisp at edges and darkly golden brown on bottom, about 3 minutes. Flip the flatbread and continue to cook until second side is browned about 2 minutes more. 
  • Transfer to a wire rack to cool or 200º oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter and oil.

Notes

Easy Tips
  • Make sure skillet and oil are HOT before pouring in batter. 
  • When the edges are set and middle starts to bubble, it’s time to flip. 
  • Making socca on a griddle or 8″ fry pan. 
Freezing and Reheating
Make sure the socca has completely cooled. Wrap each individually in plastic wrap. Transfer to a gallon freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months.
When ready to enjoy place the frozen or thawed socca directly on oven rack or in toaster oven at 400ºF for about 5 minutes. Alternatively, heat a skillet over medium high heat and quickly fry in a splash of olive oil.
 
Adapted from The How Can it Be Gluten Free Cookbook
Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 20g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Sodium: 492mg, Potassium: 304mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 15IU, Calcium: 18mg, Iron: 1.8mg
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