Herb Socca

If you are like me, you may pick up random bags of flour without a clear idea of what to do with it. They may end up living in your pantry for a while, temporarily forgotten. Such as garbanzo bean flour.

It turns out, I had managed to collect a couple of small bags of garbanzo bean flour plus a large Costco-sized bag. There are lots of delicious recipes that utilize garbanzo bean flour (also known as chickpea flour or gram flour) but for whatever reason, I had forgotten about them. Such as socca, a pancake made from garbanzo bean flour, water, olive oil, and salt. It has delightfully crispy edges and is soft in the middle.

I’ve made socca in the past several times but had totally forgotten about it. Not anymore! Socca is great on its own and makes a great base for a fried egg, some sauteed veggies, salad (as pictured), or even pizza.

I added about a teaspoon of dried herbs (a garlic herb blend) to mine to up the flavor. Play around with whatever herbs and spices you have on hand to make this your own and adjust the amount for your tastes.

The batter comes together in about a minute and a half but the flavor and texture are much better if you can let it sit for about an hour. This will allow the garbanzo bean flour to fully hydrate.

Whisk together 1 cup of garbanzo bean flour, 1 cup warm water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 1 teaspoon of any salt-free herb blend (or make your own) in a bowl. If using an herb blend that contains salt, decrease or omit the extra salt. Also, I used kosher salt which is less salty tasting, so you may need to decrease from a teaspoon if using other types of salt. Or completely omit the herbs for a more traditional socca.

Now put it aside and let it rest for an hour if you can. At least let it rest while you preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a 10 – 12-inch oven-safe pan (preferably cast iron) inside to preheat.

When the pan is hot, carefully pull it out of the oven and pour about 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the bottom and swirl it around to cover the entire bottom. Pour in the rested batter and return to the oven for about 15 minutes. The edges will be nicely browned and pulling away from the sides of the pan.

If you prefer the top of the socca to be crispier, put it underneath the broiler for a couple of minutes, brushing with a little extra olive oil if it appears dry.

Turn out onto a plate or cutting board, add any desired toppings, and slice up. Enjoy!

Print Recipe

Herb Socca

A pancake made with garbanzo bean flour, water, olive oil, salt, and optional herbs. Enjoy on its own or use as a base for vegetables, beans, fried eggs, pizza, …

The prep time may look long, but it is only about 1 – 2 minutes of hands-on time and the rest is the batter is sitting on the counter.

Prep Time1 hr

Cook Time15 mins

Author: Rachel at Fridge Two Table

Ingredients

• 1 cup garbanzo bean flour
• 1 cup warm water
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp salt (I used kosher, adjust as needed for other types of salt)
• 1 – 2 tsp salt-free herb or spice blend (if using a blend with salt, decrease or omit the salt above)

Instructions

• Whisk the garbanzo bean flour, warm water, half of the olive oil, salt, and herbs together in a bowl. Set aside for an hour.
• Put a 10 – 12-inch oven-safe pan (preferably cast iron) in the oven and then preheat the oven to 450.
• When the pan is hot, carefully remove it from the oven and swirl the other half of the olive oil to coat the bottom and then pour in the rested batter. Return to the oven for about 15 minutes.
• If a crispier top is desired, turn on the broiler and move the oven rack closer to the top. Broil until desired browness and crispiness on the top is achedived, checking often to avoid burning.
• Turn the socca out on a large plate or cutting board, add any desired toppings, and slice.
• Enjoy!