Chickpea Flatbread | Socca | Gluten free and Vegan French Flatbread
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'.
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.
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)
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.
- 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!
More Chickpea Recipes
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Recipe
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!
Just taken this out of the oven and its delicious! I added raw garlic and cooked beetroot as that was on hand and that worked well too. Thanks for posting a great recipe, quick, tasty and gluten free. I feel like I'm eating pizza!
Thank you so much for your feedback! So happy you liked it. The choices are unlimited to add to the batter and that is the best part of the recipe 🙂
Hi,
I tried the recipe today with just 2 modfications, pinch of hing instead of garlic since we dont eat garlic and mixed italian herbs n cilantro as I was out of rosemary. It turned out delishhh. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
Quick question, do you think it would be ok to add other vegetables along wiht onion?
Hi Deepti, so glad you liked the recipe. You can absolutely add more vegetables. I add bell pepper, shredded carrot and so on at times.
I have never tasted or tried this flat bread. But the recipe sounds easy to follow and with readily available ingredients, I can't wait to try this out . Thanks for the detailed recipe.
wow Sandhya!!!This is so so different. Loved it. I am going to try this out asap
Very creative recipe. Looks amazing.. Flat bread made from besan.. One of my friends was asking me, can we make something out of besan flour other than, bajis, pakoras and ladoos. This one is so perfect for her to try. Awesome share. I am going to try this recipe soon. 🙂
Thank you Malini! A flatbread that is gluten free is marvelous and I loved how simple this was to make. Do give it a try.
Socha looks absolutely beautiful and delicious bread. The recipe look like the Tomato Omlette. I can imagine the flavour!
Thanks Jolly! Yes, very similar to the vegetaroan omelet and loved it for evening snack.
This chickpea flatbread looks so good. We can even eat it with masala chai like a snack.
Bookmarking it.
Thanks Shobha! Great one for snacking.
Awesome recipe, loved the idea of adding onion, garlic and coriander. Makes it so flavorful. Amazing share !!
Thanks Anshu! Definitely adding the vegetables added more flavor.
I am yet to try this healthy nutritious bread. Detail description and perfect pictures, bookmarking it.
Thanks Paarul! Give it a try. You will love it.
Never tried it. Chickpea flatbread sounds interesting and delicious. Perfect gluten free breakfast option. Bookmaking it to try soon. Lovely share.
Sandhya, I loved the recipe and the detailing too. Healthy, nutritious flatbreads that bursts of flavours and made in a pan or skillet which is wonderful.
I have never tries socca, but heard a lot about it. your step by step pics are tempting to try.
Thanks Seema! They are delicious and I am sure you would love it.
Socca looks absolutely delicious......nice use of chickpea flour......perfect for snacks.......yumm... 🙂
Thank you Jayeeta!
Wow.. quite healthy and protein packed dish. love the wway you cook like quiche or spanish omlette.
New and interesting recipe. Looks so irresistible and lip smacking. Bookmarking to try sometime soon. Great share....
Thanks a lot Geetha! It was a great recipe and so quick t put together. Do give it a try.
I made it for a previous edition and loved it so much. Kids surely asked for a repeat for the same. Its so filing that you added onions and enhanced the flavours!
Thank you Valli!
Hi Sandhya,
I don’t have a cast iron skillet. What else I could use to bake this beauty? Sitting at home like as bored panda during this tough period and could use mood boosters like this 🙂
Hello Aishwarya, you could use a cake pan to make this. You could also make individual ones using muffin tins or small loaf pans. Make sure that it is not too thick so they get a chance to cook all the way.
Socca is something new to me; I've never heard of it before. It looks irresistible! 🙂
Thanks a lot! It was so delicious and my kids loved it.
Sandhya this has been on my list to make for a long time, but always wondered how it would taste with just chickpea flour. Your socca looks so good that's its beckoning me try out the recipe.
That's an awesome flatbread with chickpea flour Sandhya! Looks very inviting. Like Priya said, I would love to have it with some spicy pickle!
Fantabulous bread this looks Sandhya. This socca bread looks so wonderful and delicious. I am sure this will give the best results in cast iron. I am really feeling to grab. chickpea flour recipe I love a lot. Bookmarking this.
Thanks a lot Bhawana! Yes, the cast iron gives it a marvelous texture. DO give it a try and I am sure you will love it.
When I read the title 'Chickpea flatbread' I was thinking that you made a dough with besan and was wondering how you handled it. After going through the whole post, came to know that it is a batter based bread. Magnificent...Will certainly try it
Yes Ritu! So simple to make and very delicious.
Wow! it looks so crisp and flavorful. I have bookmarked it to try for sure.
Thanks Harini!
I am yet to try this delicious bread. I love the addition of onions, garlic and herbs. They must add a nice flavour to the crispy bread.
Yes Gayathri. I am going to try with more vegetables next time 🙂
looks beautiful!
Can we make it in le cruset pan? will it stick?
Thanks a lot Gauri! I am sure it will work if it is a oven safe pan.
Supers Socca !it looks so nice and crisp, I feel like grabbing it from the screen. seriously !!It also reminds me of our Sindhi Besan Koki, which has almost similar ingredients but for rosemary..the difference is that koki is cooked on stove top and Socca is baked, but I am trying this very soon, I am sure everyone will love it.
Yes Vaishali! I was amazed at how many similarities different cuisines have.
Socca is one of the popular french flatbread which is quite easily available in Southern part of France. And somehow i love to have socca with pickles, though French peoples love them with loads of cheese.
I would love to eat it with our pickle as well Priya. Will be making this often and will try that next time when I make it.
Wow! Such a unique and beautiful dish....should try this for myself asap!
Thanks Sowmya!
What a unique recipe, Sandhya! Like the Tomato Omlette which is baked. I can only imagine the flavour!
Thanks a lot Aruna. It did feel like the besan ka cheela that we make. Was very flavorful.
This looks yum.. beautiful clicks too...I have also done this but for different letter...and as you said ours was also gone in minutes..it really taste delicious with those onion and rosemary..
Can't wait to see your Renu! Thanks a lot.