Socca is a simple French flatbread made with just 4 ingredients. Made with chickpea flour, it’s naturally gluten-free and couldn’t be easier to prepare!
Ingredients You’ll Need
What is socca made of? For the base recipe, you’ll need just 4 simple ingredients.
- Chickpea flour
- Water
- Olive oil
- Salt
That’s it! No eggs or yeast are required for this socca recipe, and you can get creative with the flavoring from here. I usually like to add in a clove of garlic, and any fresh herbs I have on hand, too.
How to Make Socca Bread
To make homemade socca, all you need to do is whisk together the 4 ingredients, plus any add-ins you like.
The key to getting a good texture is letting the batter rest for at least 30 minutes before cooking it.
Tip: I tend to be very impatient in the kitchen, so sometimes I’ll cook the socca right away, without letting the batter rest.
So, be patient!
The result is usually not as pretty (the socca cracks a little more and sometimes splits in the middle when you skip the soaking step) but it is still delicious, if you need to make this faster.
While the batter is resting, preheat the oven to 450ºF and place an oven-safe skillet inside the oven to heat up at the same time. This also helps you achieve crispier results!
When 30 minutes have passed (or you can let it rest longer, if you’d like– up to overnight in the fridge) use oven mitts to remove the cast iron skillet from the stove and drizzle a little olive oil in the pan. Swirl it around, making sure the bottom and sides of the pan are evenly coated, then pour the socca batter in.
Bake the socca for approximately 20-25 minutes, or until the edges are golden. It’s great if the top of the flatbread starts to turn lightly golden, too.
Note: If you find that the socca isn’t golden enough after 20 minutes or so, you can also turn on your oven’s broiler for the last 1 to 2 minutes of cooking, to speed things along.
Remove the socca from the oven, and use a spatula to remove the socca. It should release from the pan very easily.
Slice and serve warm, with your favorite toppings. This makes a great socca pizza crust, and it’s also delicious when served with hummus or chimichurri.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does socca taste like? Socca has a relatively neutral flavor once it’s cooked, but it does taste like chickpeas. (Not surprising, right?) The batter tastes very bitter before you cook it, but I think the flavor becomes more mild after it’s baked. I do recommend serving it with something flavorful, like hummus or spinach artichoke dip, as it’s not too exciting by itself.
How do you pronouce socca? I studied French for four years, and my teachers always pronounced it “sock-ah.” But, please, someone correct me if I’m wrong!
What size pan should you use? I keep a 10-inch cast iron skillet in my kitchen, so that’s what I use, but I think a 12-inch skillet will also work, if you don’t mind a thinner, crispier flatbread. Make sure the pan you use is oven-safe, up to 450ºF. (Including the handle!)
Socca Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour (109 grams)
- 1 cup water (8 ounces)
- 1.5 tablespoons olive oil (18 grams; plus more for greasing the pan)
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt ( 5 grams; I use Real Salt brand)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the chickpea flour, water, olive oil, and salt. Use a whisk to stir it together, and break up any lumps. Set it aside to rest for 30 minutes or more. (You can set it in the fridge overnight, if you want to make this in advance.)
- Preheat the oven to 450ºF and place a 10-inch cast iron skillet inside, to heat up at the same time. When the batter is done resting, use oven mitts to remove the skillet from the oven, and pour roughly 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil into the pan. Swirl it around, to make sure the bottom and sides of the pan are coated well, then pour the batter into the skillet.
- Bake at 450ºF for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the edges of the socca look golden and crispy. Remove the pan from the oven, and use a spatula to lift the socca out of the pan. (It should be very easy to remove.)
- Use a pizza cutter to slice the socca into slices, and serve warm with your favorite toppings or dip. Leftover socca can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this socca recipe, please leave a comment below letting me know how you like it. And if you make any modifications, I’d love to hear about those, too! We can all benefit from your experience.
I’m from Uruguay and we call this faina, eat it with pizza, in restaurants they do it in huge pans in a wood oven, really thin an crispy, we eat it warm, in Argentina they make it super thick and eat it cold. Delicious. Some people would put muzzarella to melt on top of it.
Is there another kind of pan to use if you don’t have the cast iron skillet?
Any pan that is oven safe should work. Several skillets don’t have oven-safe handles, so you don’t want those to melt in the oven! And it’s best if you can preheat the pan first, so the socca will get nice and crispy.
Thank you.👍
Socca recipe: What flour would you recommend to replace the chickpea flour? I love chickpeas, but don’t care for the flour in recipes.
I have never heard of this but decided to give it a try after trying (and loving!) the golden chickpea pancakes from your winter reset. I used a 12 inch pan and it came out crunchy on the edges and slightly chewy in the middle. It was perfect for dipping in marinara and I think I’ll use it as a pizza crust next time. I love the blander flavor because it makes it very versatile. Next time I’m going to experiment with garlic and sundries tomatoes.
Thank you so much for explain how to make flour from chickpeas. I saw a video in Italian showing how to soak the chickpea flour for 5-6 hours to make Socca, skim off
the foam that forms on top and then cook in oven.
I do not know this language and there was no info in the description. The bread is suppose to rise higher also.
Thank you, I can hardly wait to try this.
This was amazing! I’ve made socca before, but this was definitely my most successful and delicious. Thank you! I’m happy you are exploring chickpeas and chickpea flour more lately. I’m pretty sure I eat chickpeas in one form or another just about everyday…
This socca was wonderful with the detox soup and now we have leftovers to put veggies on for lunch tomorrow
Loved it! Thanks for the detailed instructions Megan.
hello,
what about if i am intolerant to chickpea flour? any gluten free good flour substitute?
Can I just use a round cake pan as I don’t have a cast iron skillet.
Thank you.
Deborah
Sure, I think that should work!
In Argentina we call it Fainá, we eat in on top of a regular cheese pizza. Delicious!!!
In Italy we make the same chickpea break and call it “farinata” The
recipe is the same but the resting time is longer: it’s overnight. We also add some romarin
Megan thank you so much for this recipe. My husband and I have tried numerous times to make socca over the years and had given up. Your recipe, advice and video gave me the confidence to give it another go. I placed the ingredients in a stick blender jar with leaves from 3 rosemary stalks. Gave it a blitz, rested for 30 minutes and baked in an oven proof glass dish. It was delicious. We can finally add this to our recipe repertoire! You are a breath of fresh air to the cooking world.
I love this recipe so much! I usually add some garlic powder and crushed rosemary for extra flavor and flip it like a pancake on the stovetop. It’s my favorite gluten free “bread”. Thanks Megan.
I love this recipe and like to use the socca for a pizza crust. Thank-you Megan!