How to Make Socca
If you can’t travel to the south of France, this recipe can show you how to make Socca Chickpea Flatbread at home. Of course a rustic flatbread made with chickpea flour does have some carbs, but check the nutritional information and you may be surprised that this is not super high in net carbs for an occasional treat.
PIN Socca Chickpea Flatbread to try it later!
When I found chickpea flour at a middle eastern market in L.A., I experimented with making Farinata, producing something that tasted great but seemed too thick and looked different than other versions of Farinata I saw around the web. But I was intrigued with trying to make something tasty with chickpea flour!
And then I had some e-mail discussion with David Lebovitz, who told me he loved the Socca he found in France and had been experimenting with making Socca. And I became obsessed with figuring out How to Make Socca!
David told me there can be quite a lot of variation in different types of chickpea flour, which only made me more determined to try it again. Fast forward to the release of David’s new book The Sweet Life in Paris, and the perfected Socca recipe on his blog, which rekindled my desire to try making it. I was also lucky enough to happen upon a great little cast iron griddle, small enough to fit under the broiler, so a few days ago I gave it a try.
If only I knew how to say it was fantastic in French, I could properly express how much I liked this. Definitely thinner and less crispy than my previous Farinata experiment, and perfectly delightful eaten hot from the griddle, with a bit of olive oil drizzled on and some salt and fresh ground black pepper. And did I mention that this low-glycemic chickpea flatbread is also gluten free and loaded with nutrients?
What ingredients do you need for this recipe?
- chickpea flour
- water
- sea salt
- ground cumin (affiliate link)
- olive oil
What is Socca?
Socca is a type of rustic flatbread made from chickpea flour, water, and olive oil. It’s prepared as a batter, poured into a pan or on a small griddle, and baked or fried. This is found in southern France where it’s served with lots of fresh-ground pepper.
What else can you make with chickpea flour?
Chickpea flour is used all over the world to make thin flatbread crepes, pancakes, or crackers. Depending on where they’re made, they can be called Pappadum (India), Farinata (Italy) or Socca (France). Farinata and Socca may or may not be the same, depending on which expert you ask, but they’re definitely similar.
How to make Socca Chickpea Flatbread:
(Scroll down for complete recipe with nutritional information.)
- I found this brand of garbanzo or chickpea flour at Whole Foods, and it seemed yellower and not as fine as the type I used for my Farinata, so I had hopes it would be more similar to what’s used in Europe.
- As David recommended, after I mixed chickpea flour, water, salt, ground cumin (affiliate link), and olive oil, I let the batter rest for a few hours.
- This is my lovely new cast iron griddle, purchased at Smith’s Marketplace in Salt Lake City for $12.79. What a bargain, huh?
- To cook the Socca, you brush the griddle with olive oil, heat it under the broiler, pour on a thin layer of batter, and cook under the broiler.
- Maybe I was nervous about burning it, because my first attempt turned out a little pale, although it was quickly devoured with no complaints!
- My second try was better, but by the third one I learned that I got best results when I poured the batter straight down in the middle and let it naturally run out to the edges. I recommend leaving them under the broiler until they browned a bit, but were still slightly soft and could easily be folded.
- I guess I’ll have to go to Italy and France and try authentic Farinata and Socca to see how my results would compare, but in the meantime I’ll definitely keep making them at home.
More Tasty Recipes with Chickpeas:
Chickpea Salad with Tomatoes, Olives, and Herbs
Garlicky Roastsed Chickpeas with Feta, Mint, and Lemon
Socca Chickpea Flatbread
Socca is a tasty chickpea flatbread from France, and you can easily make it at home.
Ingredients
- 1 cup chickpea flour
- 1 cup plus 2 T water
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 1/2 T olive oil (plus a bit more for brushing griddle and drizzling on finished Socca)
Instructions
- Whisk together the chickpea flour, water, cumin, and olive oil.
- Cover container and let rest for 2 hours at room temperature.
- When ready to cook Socca, preheat broiler. (I have a gas broiler, so I’m not sure how the results would be different with an electric broiler.)
- When broiler is hot, brush cast iron griddle or frying pan with olive oil, heat under the broiler for 2 minutes, then remove from oven (use a mitt!) and pour on a thin layer of batter.
- Cook Socca under the broiler until it has firmed and well-browned, especially on the edges.
- For me, this took about 4 minutes under the broiler, but watch the time on your first one.
- Continue to make Socca pancakes like this, brushing the griddle with oil and heating it between each one.
- Cut finished Socca into rough triangular pieces, sprinkle with sea salt and fresh ground black pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
- Serve hot.
Notes
This recipe adapted very slightly from The Sweet Life in Paris and Socca Enfin on David’s blog.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
3Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 179Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 602mgCarbohydrates: 18gFiber: 3gSugar: 3gProtein: 7g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.
Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Socca Chickpea Flatbread is somewhat high in carbs for traditional low-carb diet plans, but if you check the nutritional info it may be lower in net carbs than you’d think. It’s low-glycemic and approved for the original South Beach Diet Phase Two. I think this would make a great gluten-free replacement for pita bread and I can imagine serving it with Hummus, Falafel, or Tzatziki Sauce.
Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Beans and Legumes to find more recipes with chickpeas. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest or on Facebook to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.
94 Comments on “How to Make Socca”
I've had farinata but not socca, so I must try this. My family adores flatbreads so I'm sure it will be a hit at home.
Rosa, thanks. Good to know I'm doing it right.
Kate, I like the idea of adding some pepper to the batter.
Maria, I'm going to try making it on the grill! I think you'd love it.
Jaden, I want to try using it for more things. Can't wait to meet you too!
Joanna, I bet you'll like it. Not sure if the Indian chickpea flour is just the same, but I think it will work.
this looks delicious… i still have some chickpea flour from an Indian evening left over, this seems like the perfect way to use it up! thanks for sharing…
That's so healthy!!! I've never played with chickpea flour before.
Hey can't wait to meet ya!
Never tried these before. I love chickpeas though, I am sure they are tasty. Great post!
Fantastic! You've reminded me I want to make this. Having eaten socca in Nice, I would say that black pepper is definitely key – you don't want to skimp!
That is a delicious and easy to make speciality which I cherish a lot! Your socca/farinata looks great!
Cheers,
Rosa
David, I'm definitely a convert. I am hoping come to France someday and try the real thing.
Thanks for the tips about pans. I was so excited to find this little cast iron griddle, which I'm finding is also great to make quesadillas.
Looks great! Glad to see the gospel of socca is spreading : )
A note about pans: this is 'street' food so don't worry too much about the kind of pan you have. I've seen them made in banged up old pizza sheets, on blackened metal trays, and what-have-you. At home, however, unless you're cooking it in a fireplace, a cast-iron pan like Kalyn used, I find works best. But I've used everything from a non-stick skillet to a round cake pan, and all work well.
Kalyn, thank you for this!! I have been wanting to make socca all week.
This looks marvelous! I can't wait to make it!
Cheers,
~ Paula
Lisa, sorry I missed your comment when I replied above. I'm not sure how that would work, but I think it might work if it was ultra hot. The pancake is pretty thin, but you could probably do it. Let us know how it works if you try it!
Monica, in his post David says his friend in France uses a non-stick tart pan, but it looks like a heavy pan in the photo. I think any kind of heavy pan that can be pre-heated and go under the broiler would work, but I'm not sure about a thin pie pan. Let us know if you try it!
I llove chickpea pancakes! They're a regular part of my menu since I discovered pudla or cheela, which both seem very much like socca!
is there any reason you couldn't cook this on a regular griddle and flip it to brown the other side (rather than putting under the broiler)?
Any alternatives for the cast-iron skillet? Would a pie pan work or is that a horrible idea?
Katie, this would be a great option for you.
TW, I bet you would love this. It may turn into my new "go to" appetizer when I have guests!
Tee, not sure how the flour with chickpeas and favas would work, but I'd guess it might be okay. Let me know if you try it; love to hear how it works.
Lydia, so tasty! I bet you'll love it like I did.
One of my favorite episodes of The French Chef featured Julia Child watching socca being made at the market in (Nice? Marseilles?) — it looked so good that I wanted to reach through the TV screen and grab it hot off the griddle. Yours looks just the same, so thanks to you and David L. I'll definitely be trying this.
Do you think that I can use chickpea and fava bean flour and get the same result? I made a mistake and bought a mixture instead of pure chickpea flour a few months back when I saw socca on David's blog 🙁 Maybe I will just give it a try and see if it works out okay.
This is great – I bought some chickpea flour the last time you posted a flatbread recipe – this looks even easier and worth a try.
This looks wonderful! I've just discovered that I probably have issues with gluten, so I'm excited whenever I find a nice bread-like substitute that doesn't involve 15 types of flours (I'm still intimidated by gluten-free substitutions). Can't wait to try it!