Have you ever had the chance to try French-inspired Socca, also known as Farinata in Italy? Well, you are in for a treat! This gluten-free bread is easy to make with just 2 ingredients!

So watch the video tutorial below and find out why socca is a beloved dish throughout southern France and northern Italy.

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Table of Contents

What is Socca?

Socca is a gluten-free chickpea flatbread with many uses, such as:

  • An appetizer topped with sea salt and herbs
  • A gluten-free bread alongside a salad
  • A pizza topped with homemade marinara, mozzarella, and fresh basil

This savory flatbread is made from chickpea flour, and it’s sometimes called a Socca pancake. Whatever you call it, you’ll love its crispy, golden-brown edges and tender interior.

How to Make Socca Video

Watch Mary make this simple 2-ingredient gluten-free bread known as Socca

Why You’ll Love Socca

Easy to Make: This simple recipe is perfect for beginners because it requires only two ingredients: chickpea flour and water.

Nutrient Rich: Chickpea flour is rich in nutrients, including vitamin C, folate, choline, and beta-carotene. Plus, chickpea flour is high in fiber, something most people don’t eat enough of.

Customizable:  Socca is an ancient recipe with many variations over the years. In addition to baking, you can make this recipe in a skillet or on a griddle as you would pancakes. You can keep the ingredients to just the essential two or add a variety of seasonings to make it your own.

Versatile Uses: Socca has so many uses that you will never get bored with how to serve this gluten-free bread. Hot out of the oven, it’s scrumptious as is, but topping it with a variety of ingredients makes it even more delicious. It can even be used as a gluten-free pizza crust!

Socca Ingredients

Find the full printable recipe with ingredients below.

You only need 2 ingredients to make this exceptionally simple Socca recipe:

  • Chickpea Flour: This grain-free flour is made from finely ground dried chickpeas. It’s also called garbanzo bean flour or besan. It’s easy to find chickpea flour online, but many regular grocery stores carry it too in their gluten-free section or baking aisle.
  • Water: You’ll mix your chickpea flour with water to create a pancake-like batter.

If you want to get fancy, you can add 2 more ingredients:

And speaking of herbs…

My favorite way to serve Socca is with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, a sprinkle of flaked sea salt or fleur de sel, and then a dash of dried oregano.

How to Make Socca

Find the full printable recipe with measurements below.

  1. Batter: Make the batter by adding the chickpea flour and water together in a bowl. Whisk well. You can optionally add a bit of olive oil and salt at this stage. Whisk well to fully incorporate.
  2. Rest: Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen dish towel and allow the batter to soak for at least 2 hours. You can optionally allow the batter to continue to soak for up to 24 hours on the counter or in the refrigerator.
  3. Preheat: Place a cast-iron skillet or oven-proof pan in a cold oven and preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
  4. Add Batter: Once the skillet is piping hot, carefully remove it from the oven to a heatproof surface using a pot holder. Pour the batter into the hot skillet. If the pan is not well-seasoned or non-stick, add a bit of olive oil to the pan and swirl before adding the batter.
  5. Back Into the Oven: Return the skillet to the oven and bake the batter at 450°F (232°C) for 8-10 minutes until the top begins to crack and the edges appear golden brown.
  6. Optional Broil: You can optionally turn the oven to broil and allow the Socca to brown slightly on top. But watch it closely!
  7. Serve: Once the Socca is ready, remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface. Using a spatula, carefully remove the Socca from the skillet and transfer it to a plate. Slice and serve as is or with toppings.

Variations

Making Socca is a simple recipe with two basic ingredients (chickpea flour and water), but you can always add more. This ancient recipe dates back to early Roman times and possibly even before! So, by all means, make this recipe your own for your contemporary tastes.

Here are just a few ideas:

  • Herbs: Add chopped fresh herbs or crumbled dry herbs to the chickpea flour and water batter.
  • Spices: Add individual ground spices or a combination of spices to the batter to create an extra savory Socca.
  • Cheese: Add a bit of freshly grated hard-aged cheese, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, to the batter.

Pro Tips

Preheat the Skillet: Remember to place your cast-iron skillet or another oven-proof pan in a cold oven, then preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). This is very important because you want the skillet to be hot when you pour in your batter to create those delightful crisp edges and crispy bottom indicative of a well-made Socca.

A Nice Long Soak: You need to soak your chickpea flour batter for AT LEAST 2 HOURS. Do not take a shortcut on the soaking, as the final product will be disappointing. Best of all, if you are busy, you can let your batter soak even longer on the counter or in the fridge.

Eat the Socca the Day You Make It: Yes, you can store and reheat it. However, it is best enjoyed hot right out of the oven the day you make it, when it will be the most crisp.

Storing and Reheating

Room Temperature: You can leave your Socca at room temperature for a few days.

Refrigerate: Wrapped well, you can store your Socca in the refrigerator for about 1 week.

Freeze: As with refrigeration, you will want to wrap your Socca well and then place it in an airtight, freezer-proof bag or container.

Reheating: No matter how you store your Socca you will want to warm them for a few minutes in an oven preheated to 400°F (204°C) to allow them to re-crisp. This is best done by simply placing the Socca right on the oven rack.

Serving Suggestions

You can eat and enjoy homemade Socca right out of the oven as a snack, but you can enjoy it in even more ways. Here are some additional ideas for how to enjoy your gluten-free bread:

  • Appetizer: Socca makes a terrific gluten-free base for any topping, including chopped veggies and cheese as an appetizer. Use it as a base for your favorite bruschetta recipe.
  • Main Meal: Socca also makes the perfect gluten-free stand-in for a pizza crust. After you bake your Socca, add your favorite pizza toppings and place it under the broiler for a few minutes. Afterward, you’ll have a gluten-free pizza.

Why the Magic Whisk is Such a Versatile Kitchen Tool

In my video on How to Make Socca, I use my favorite whisk, known as the magic whisk. This little whisk is an absolute workhorse and literally can do the job of any larger whisk, and truth be told, it actually does a better job because you can use it in smaller spaces with more control.

So if you don’t have one, be sure to look for it in the kitchen section of your local grocery store or order it online. It’s an incredibly useful kitchen tool!

Grind Your Own Flour with the Mockmill

When it comes to electric grain mills, after I did A LOT of research, I decided to buy a Mockmill. And am I so happy I did! The Mockmill is a very affordable but beautifully crafted German-made mill that stone grinds grain with settings ranging from 1 to 10—fine to coarse ground grain.

You can even use it to grind chickpeas and make your own homemade chickpea flour for a fraction of the cost of buying the flour at your local grocery store! (I show you how to use the Mockmill to grind dried chickpeas in my How to Make Socca video.)

Learn more about Mockmill electric grain mills for making fresh flour and their Flake Lover’s Flaker that flakes whole grain in minutes. (This is not a sponsored post, I bought the Mockmill products that I show you, and I’m a happy user of their devices in my kitchen.)

Manual Grain Mills from Lehman’s

If you want to be prepared for whatever might come, you can also stock your prepper pantry with a manual grain mill. Lehman’s Country Store offers an affordable line of manual grain mills. If you purchase one, be sure to use this link and NEST15 coupon code for 15% off your order from Lehmans.

Order YOUR COPY Now!

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How to Make Socca – 2 Ingredient Gluten-Free Bread

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Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Soaking Time: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 15 minutes
Yield: 2 servings
Author: Mary Bryant Shrader
Print Recipe Save Recipe
Socca, also known as farinata, is a gluten-free bread that is so easy to make with just 2 ingredients!

Equipment

  • 1 Cast-iron skillet or oven-proof pan This can also be made on a stovetop griddle.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chickpea flour
  • 1 cup water See Recipe Notes below.
  • 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, optional Plus additional olive oil for the skillet
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt, optional

Instructions 

  • Make the batter by adding the chickpea flour and water together in a bowl. Whisk well. You can optionally add a bit of olive oil and salt at this stage. Whisk well to fully incorporate.
  • Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen dish towel and allow the batter to soak for at least 2 hours. You can optionally allow the batter to continue to soak for up to 24 hours on the counter or in the refrigerator.
  • Place a cast-iron skillet or oven-proof pan in a cold oven and preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
  • Once the skillet is piping hot, carefully remove it from the oven to a heatproof surface using a pot holder. Pour the batter into the hot skillet. If the pan is not well-seasoned or non-stick, add a bit of olive oil to the pan and swirl before adding the batter.
  • Return the skillet to the oven and bake the batter at 450°F (232°C) for 8-10 minutes until the top begins to crack and the edges appear golden brown.
  • You can optionally turn the oven to broil and allow the Socca to brown slightly on top. But watch it closely!
  • Once the Socca is ready, remove the skillet from the oven and place it on a heatproof surface. Using a spatula, carefully remove the Socca from the skillet and transfer it to a plate. Slice and serve as is or with toppings.
  • The socca is best eaten when it first comes out of the oven.

Video

Notes

If you want to make a very thin batter, almost like a crêpe batter, you can add 2 cups of water to the chickpea flour instead of one cup of water. This will make 3 very thin Soccas that will be quite crisp and will bake in less time.
If you use olive oil and salt, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Keep a close eye on the Soccas, as they will most likely bake within 3 or 4 minutes rather than 8 to 10 minutes.
Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/2-ingredient-gluten-free-bread-how-to-make-socca/
For more traditional foods recipes and a guide to build your traditional foods kitchen, get my bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook, at https://marysnest.com/my-cookbook/
Free and comprehensive lesson plans to teach traditional food recipes and kitchen techniques to students K-12, download The Modern Pioneer Cookbook Curriculum at https://marysnest.com/cookbook-curriculum/
Copyright © 2024 Mary’s Nest, LLC, All Rights Reserved
Course: Breads
Cuisine: French, Italian
Keyword: flatbread, Pancakes
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