SOCCASocca is a thin, crispy-edged chickpea flatbread from the south of France — known as farinata across the Italian border — and it’s one of those recipes that rewards almost zero effort with a genuinely impressive result. Four ingredients, a screaming hot pan, and about ten minutes in the oven is all it takes. The batter is best made well ahead and rested in the fridge, so it’s a brilliant option when you want something relaxed and delicious for drinks or a casual meal. Just make a jug full before the weekend and you can whip up up a pancake to serve with drinks and cheese. Tear it into rustic pieces, layers drizzles with good olive oil and racked pepper, far more impress than jatz crackers.
Ingredients
- 250g chickpea flour (besan), sifted
- 10g fine salt
- 750ml water
- 30ml extra virgin olive oil (for the batter)
- light olive oil, to coat and pool in the pan before adding the batter
- cracked black pepper, to serve
- flaked salt, to serve
- Extra virgin olive oil to serve
Method
- Whisk together the chickpea flour, salt, water and extra virgin olive oil until completely smooth with no lumps. The batter will be very thin — this is correct.A stick mixer makes it easy.
- Cover and rest for a minimum of 40 minutes at room temperature. For best results, rest in the fridge for 4–12 hours or overnight. The longer rest fully hydrates the flour and deepens the flavour noticeably.
- Before preheating, wipe your pan with a paper towel lightly coated in light olive oil to build a glaze on the bare metal. (ensure that the pan has a truly flat base, this is designed for a 30cm thick based pan, carbon steel or cast iron or similar) Place your pan in the oven and preheat to 300°C on the pizza plus or hot air setting. Allow at least 15 minutes for the pan to reach full temperature.
- If the batter has been refrigerated, whisk it well before use — the flour will have settled. I store mine in a jug with a lid, it only needs a good shake. Measure out 250ml per socca into a smalljug for easy pouring.
- Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Working quickly to retain heat, pour in enough light olive oil to form a shallow pool about 2mm deep across the base and swirl to coat evenly. Pour in the 250ml of batter immediately — you should hear an immediate sizzle. Return to the oven straight away.
- Bake for 10–15 minutes until the surface is set and dry all the way across, the edges are pulling away from the pan and crisping, and the underside is deep golden. A properly preheated flat pan at 300°C should not need a grill finish.
- Remove from the oven and slide onto a board. Drizzle with your best extra virgin olive oil, scatter with flaked salt and cracked black pepper, and tear into rough pieces. Serve immediately.
Notes
Socca is at its absolute best straight from the oven while the edges are still crisp. It doesn’t reheat well, so cook to order and serve right away. Tear rather than cut — it looks more rustic and is easier to handle as finger food.
A flat base is critical. A pan with a raised centre will give you an uneven cook and a burnt middle. A 30cm base Solidteknics wrought iron or carbon steel pan is ideal — flat, heavy, retains heat brilliantly, and is made right here in Australia.
A full batch makes 3–4 socca. Measure 250ml of batter per socca into a jug before you open the oven — you want to work fast once that pan comes out. The batter can be made up to 48 hours ahead and stored in a sealed container in the fridge. Whisk well before each use as the flour settles on standing.
Fresh herbs make a lovely addition — press rosemary needles, sage leaves, or thyme sprigs lightly into the surface of the batter just before it goes into the oven. Choose herbs to suit whatever you’re serving alongside.
To serve as part of a sharing spread, pile torn pieces on a board or plate, drizzle generously with your best extra virgin olive oil, and finish with flaked salt and cracked pepper. It belongs anywhere you’d put crackers or flatbread — alongside olives, cheese, dips, and charcuterie — and it’s a far more interesting and nutritious option. If you have batter in the fridge, you’re fifteen minutes away from something that looks and tastes genuinely impressive.