chickpea flatbread pininterest image - 1

A very simple batter-based Chickpea flatbread , also known as Socca which is Gluten free and Vegan . Socca is a very popular street food from the city of Nice in France.

The third recipe in the A to Z International flatbread, the Chickpea Flatbread |or Socca, brought a lot of going back-and-forth moments. It was hard for me to choose between making this for the letter ‘C’ or for the letter ‘S’.

Sliced Socca on a white background - 2

Then I remembered that this is my first month participating in the A-Z Recipe challenge, wherein a group of bloggers comes together and we choose key ingredients alphabetically to cook and post a dish every alternate month.

This event was initiated by Jolly Makkar and Vidya Narayan . This month the challenge is to choose an ingredient starting with the letter ‘C’ and make a dish out of it. So, I decided on the ingredient Chickpea and chose to make this delicious Chickpea Flatbread, also called the Socca.

Socca is a very popular street food from the city of Nice in France. We can make several different variations of this flatbread, but the main ingredient to make the Socca is chickpea flour, water, and oil. This never changes and depending on our preference we could add any spices in it to enhance the flavor.

Chickpea Flatbread slice - close up shot - 3

I used some sauteed onions and garlic along with some dried rosemary. My boys love the texture and the flavor of the Socca and it was one of the flatbreads that disappeared within minutes.

I thought that the onions and the garlic added a lot of flavor to the Chickpeas flatbread and did not need anything on the side to eat it. My kids and husband though loved it with a good smear of hummus.

I would highly recommend using a cast iron pan to bake the Socca. It just gave it a beautiful crust which is characteristic of this flatbread. Making it was very simple.

All it needed was combining all the ingredients and letting the batter rest for at least 30 minutes before baking. I let mine sit for a couple of hours and that is perfectly fine. The more the batter sits, the lovely the texture of the Socca is.

And when you are making a recipe with chickpeas flour, make sure to try these delicious Chickpea fries as well. It takes almost the same ingredients and also is a delicious snack from the South of France region.

My Other recipes in the A-Z International Flatbread Series -

A for Aish Baladi

B for Boulanee Katchalu

Preparation time - 10 minutes plus at least 30 minutes of resting time Baking time - 10 minutes Difficulty level - easy

Ingredients to make Socca - Makes one 8 - inch Flatbread

  • Chickpea flour / Besan / Kadalai Maavu - ¾ cup
  • Water - ¾ cup
  • Salt - to taste
  • Olive oil - 2 tablespoon plus 1 tsp
  • Onion - 1 (finely chopped)
  • Garlic - 2 pods (minced)
  • Red pepper flakes - 1 teaspoon (adjust based on your spice preference)
  • Black pepper salt - ½ tsp
  • Dried rosemary - ¼ tsp
  • Cilantro - 3 tablespoon (finely chopped)
Gluten free and Vegan French Flatbread side view - 4

Procedure to make Chickpea Flatbread -

  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour with salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and dried rosemary.

  • Add the water and olive oil and whisk well to combine. Cover the batter with plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. You could let it sit for longer as well. Mine was sitting for a couple of hours.

  • In the meantime, heat about a teaspoon of oil in a cast iron skillet that we will be using to bake the Socca. Add the chopped onions and let it cook on low to medium heat until translucent (about 5 to 7 minutes).

  • Add the minced garlic and let it cook for a minute more. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool down.

  • After the batter has rested, preheat the oven to 450 F. Also heat the cast iron skillet before we pour the batter on it.

  • Add the cooled-down onion mixture along with cilantro to the batter and mix to combine.

Preparing the batter - 5
  • Grease the hot cast iron skillet liberally with olive oil and pour the batter. Tilt the pan slightly to spread.

  • Bake it for about 10 minutes or until the sides are slightly crisp and the top is slightly browned.

  • Remove from the oven and let it cool on a rack briefly.

Baking the batter - 6
  • Slice and serve when warm!
Socca slices ready to serve - 7

More Chickpea Recipes

  • Chana Chaat / Chickpeas Salad / Garbanzo Beans Salad
  • Middle Eastern Chickpeas Soup - Vegan Garbanzo Beans Soup
  • Palak Chana | Chickpeas and Spinach Curry
  • Mediterranean Chickpea Salad

Recipe

Chickpea Flatbread served at home - 8

Ingredients

  • ▢ ¾ cup Chickpea flour
  • ▢ ¾ cup Water
  • ▢ Salt to taste
  • ▢ 2 tablespoon Olive oil
  • ▢ 1 Onion finely chopped
  • ▢ 2 pods Garlic minced
  • ▢ 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes adjust based on your spice preference
  • ▢ ½ teaspoon Black pepper salt
  • ▢ ¼ teaspoon Dried rosemary
  • ▢ 3 tablespoon Cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour with salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and dried rosemary.
  • Add the water and olive oil and whisk well to combine. Cover the batter with a plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. You could let it sit for longer as well. Mine was sitting for couple of hours.
  • In the meantime, heat about a teaspoon oil in a the cast iron skillet that we will be using to bake the Socca. Add the chopped onions and let it cook in low to medium heat until translucent (about 5 to 7 minutes).
  • Add the minced garlic and let it cook for a minute more. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool down.
  • After the batter has rested, preheat the oven to 450 F. Also heat the cast iron skillet before we pour the batter on it.
  • Add the cooled down onion mixture along with cilantro to the batter and mix to combine.
  • Grease the hot cast iron skillet liberally with olive oil and pour the batter. Tilt the pan slightly to spread.
  • Bake it for about 10 minutes or until the sides are slightly crisp and the top is slightly browned.
  • Remove from the oven and let it cool on a rack briefly.
  • Slice and serve when warm!

Nutrition

More Flatbread recipes from around the world

  • Mooli Ka Paratha | Radish Paratha
  • Ajwain Paratha | Carom Seeds Flatbread
  • Classic Homemade Bialys Recipe
  • Green Peas Kachori | Bengali Matar Kachori
Chickpea Flatbread served at home - 9

Chickpea Flatbread | Socca | Gluten free and Vegan French Flatbread

Ingredients

  • ¾ cup Chickpea flour
  • ¾ cup Water
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoon Olive oil
  • 1 Onion finely chopped
  • 2 pods Garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon Red pepper flakes adjust based on your spice preference
  • ½ teaspoon Black pepper salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Dried rosemary
  • 3 tablespoon Cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, combine the flour with salt, red pepper flakes, black pepper and dried rosemary.
  • Add the water and olive oil and whisk well to combine. Cover the batter with a plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. You could let it sit for longer as well. Mine was sitting for couple of hours.
  • In the meantime, heat about a teaspoon oil in a the cast iron skillet that we will be using to bake the Socca. Add the chopped onions and let it cook in low to medium heat until translucent (about 5 to 7 minutes).
  • Add the minced garlic and let it cook for a minute more. Turn off the flame and let the mixture cool down.
  • After the batter has rested, preheat the oven to 450 F. Also heat the cast iron skillet before we pour the batter on it.
  • Add the cooled down onion mixture along with cilantro to the batter and mix to combine.
  • Grease the hot cast iron skillet liberally with olive oil and pour the batter. Tilt the pan slightly to spread.
  • Bake it for about 10 minutes or until the sides are slightly crisp and the top is slightly browned.
  • Remove from the oven and let it cool on a rack briefly.
  • Slice and serve when warm!

Nutrition