Chickpea pancakes (socca)

A traditional unleavened pancake from Nice, socca has many incarnations along that stretch of coast. It is gluten-free and delicious. Serve it hot from the oven, seasoned with pepper, alongside dips, cheese or olives.

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  15 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 250 g chickpea flour (besan), sifted
• 10 g salt
• 750 ml (3 cups) water
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• cracked pepper

Resting time 40 minutes

Instructions

Preheat wood-fired oven to 500°C. (Or in your kitchen oven at 270°C or 250°C fan-forced.)

In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt and water. Whisk to form a thin liquid batter. Rest for 40 minutes, then skim the bubbles from the surface and discard.

Pour oil into a large round pizza tray, then add batter. Using a wooden spoon, mix batter and oil evenly.

Place the dish in the hot oven and keep rotating for 2-3 minutes or until solid. Cook for 3 minutes or until dough begins to bubble up, then remove and pat the surface with the wooden spoon to break any air pockets.

Return to oven and cook for a further 10 minutes, or until nicely charred.

Slice into 10 cm x 3 cm pieces. Season with cracked pepper and serve.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.