Socca Pizza – Gluten-free Pizza-like Delicious!

I discovered the wondrous foodstuff that is socca very recently after googling what the hayell to do with this bag of chickpea flour I’d had in the pantry since the dinosaurs roamed the earth. “Socca” is one of the first things to pop up. I made it once, plain-style, and then was immediately struck with the idea to throw a buncha shizz on toppa it and call it a pizza! And it’s remarkably close, I think, to a pizza.

It’s round. It’s got cheese on it. It’s baked in the oven. It’s still great even after sitting out at room temperature for several hours. And it goes good with beer. Convinced? You should be.

socca pizza

 

ED NOTE: OOOPSIES!!! Someone pointed out on YouTube that “socca” is the French name for this chickpea bread thing; “farinata” is what it’s called in Italy. My bad!

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Socca – Gluten-free \”Pizza\” Recipe

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4.8 from 6 reviews

  • Author: Hilah Johnson
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 2-4 1x

Ingredients

Scale
  • Socca:
  • 3/4 cup chickpea flour
  • 3/4 cup hot water (hot tap water, around 120ºF)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, rosemary, or basil
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • Toppings:
  • Artichoke hearts, olives, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini
  • 1/4 cup grated cheese
  • 1 tablespoon minced parsley

Instructions

  1. Set oven to heat to 450ºF (232ºC) and place an empty, well-seasoned 9″ cast iron skillet inside.
  2. While that heats, make you batter by whisking together chickpea flour, hot water, salt, pepper, oregano and garlic. Whisk in 1 tablespoon of the oil. Set aside while you prep your toppings.
  3. When the oven is hot, use a hot mitt to remove the skillet and set it on a heat-proof surface.
  4. Pour 2 tablespoons of the oil into the skillet and swirl to coat.
  5. Stir the batter once more and pour into the hot skillet. It will sizzle. Tilt the pan (use a hot mitt!) to coat the bottom with the batter.
  6. Lay on all topping except cheese and parsley.
  7. Bake 12-15 minutes until the edges are crisp and brown and the vegetables are cooked.
  8. Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese and broil for just a minute to melt.
  9. Sprinkle with parsley, cut into wedges and serve.

Notes

While this is best fresh out of the oven, you can serve it at room temperature and it’s pretty damn good, too. Once you’ve cut it, lay the slices on a rack to cool. The cooled socca will still be crisp around the edges and taste great. Refrigerating it makes it soggy.

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31 Comments

  1. Great Stone Face on April 23, 2013 at 2:50 pm

    Does the minced garlic mellow out in the baking? I was thinking of mashing it up or running it through a press; or sauteing it for 30 seconds (or less) first. Also, if I were to use fresh herbs in the crust, how would I adjust the amounts?






    • Hilah on April 23, 2013 at 4:05 pm

      It’s still pretty strong-tasting. I like the bite of it, but you could saute it first or maybe instead of throwing it in with the batter, add it to the hot oil in skillet, swirl that around, then add the batter? That might be enough direct heat to mellow it. You could also use green onions instead. It’s good with just those, too.
      For fresh herbs, I usually double the amounts soft herbs like oregano, basil, dill; rosemary/thyme fresh and dried seem about the same to me, though, so I just do measure for measure (unless my dried herbs are real old!)

  2. Diane on April 23, 2013 at 5:21 pm

    Yum! Also, chickpea flour gets used a lot in Indian cooking, I think. Bread veggies with it, deep fry, and, voila, pakoras!

    • Karen Miletic on January 30, 2021 at 4:17 pm

      Can you make this without a cast iron pan?

      • Hilah on January 31, 2021 at 5:09 am

        I think you could make it in any high-heat, oven-proof skillet

  3. PoopsMagee on April 23, 2013 at 5:49 pm

    Hi Hilah,

    I know you like it hot, but 323 degrees Celsius is a bit too craaaaz-ay! 232 sounds about right 🙂 Love your videos, keep it up.

    Greetings from Holland!






    • Hilah on April 23, 2013 at 5:52 pm

      Hahaha! Yes, you are right! Thank you! 🙂
      Just edited the recipe.

  4. Rachel on April 23, 2013 at 7:43 pm

    Oh yum… Love socca just as “crackers” too. I’ve never made it this way but I’ve made it like a crepe in a skillet…. Mmmmmm!






    • Hilah on April 24, 2013 at 9:24 am

      That’s how I made it the first time, Rachel! It’s great with soup.

  5. Jewel on April 23, 2013 at 7:56 pm

    I notice that there is no leavening in the dough. Would leavening not be a good idea? Also, I am willing to bet that swapping roasted minced garlic would make the flavor not as strong.

    • Hilah on April 24, 2013 at 9:28 am

      It never occurred to me to add any leavening, Jewel! I would guess it would make it softer, though, maybe less crispy? It doesn’t seem like it would be bad, just different.
      And yes, great idea with roasted garlic for a less garlicky hit.

  6. Laurel on April 25, 2013 at 7:01 pm

    You’re a genius!

    • Hilah on April 26, 2013 at 10:41 am

      Aw shucks.

      I know.

  7. Jeff on April 27, 2013 at 6:42 pm

    Shit, I’m loling. I followed the ‘bonzo flour to water ratio, and it came out really thick, like a paste. I didn’t thin it out… it’s baking now… will keep you updated. Ha.

    • Jeff on April 27, 2013 at 6:57 pm

      Bad news bears: it… didn’t quite work out, but fuck it bucket, I’m eating it! It’s cooked just fine, but the thick consistency hindered that flat-bread element from coming into its own. On the plus? It’s like a really good stuffing. LOL I’ll try again. Any tips? I swear to god the flour/water ratio was dead on.

      • Hilah on April 29, 2013 at 10:12 am

        Maybe your flour was extra dry? Next time, just add more water until it’s thinned out, about like pancake batter. Weird. I’ve made this several times and it’s always been thin. Oh also, hot water, but not boiling hot water. I should clarify that in the recipe. It should just be around 120ºF, or whatever hot water comes out of your tap.

        • Jeff on April 30, 2013 at 1:47 am

          OOPZ! the water I used was melt-your-flesh boiling straight from the kettle. LOL. Ooooof. I’ll do this again and keep you posted. Thanks!

          • Hilah on April 30, 2013 at 11:07 am

            Thank you, Jeff!



  8. Kenny on August 28, 2013 at 12:15 pm

    Any suggestions for cooking this if you don’t have a cast iron skillet or is that key? (Its on my xmas wish list)

    • Hilah on August 28, 2013 at 6:05 pm

      Hi Kenny!
      You might be able to do it with a steel pan, as long as it also has a steel handle. Basically you want something that can stand up to the high temp of the oven, so no plastic handles.
      I hope you get your Xmas wish! Cast iron is the bomb. 🙂

  9. Sharron Powers on August 28, 2013 at 1:17 pm

    Hey Hilah… this looks great and I will be sure to try it! I wondered if you have ever used Avocado Oil and if so what’s your thoughts on it??? I’ve read it’s probably the best oil for you – even better evoo.

    Thanks! SP

    • Hilah on August 28, 2013 at 6:10 pm

      Hi Sharron!
      I have not ever used avocado oil for anything. Shame on me! 😉 But, yes, I have read that it is healthy and has a very high smoke point so it would probably work great in this recipe. Here’s an article I wrote about all the oils I typically use and for what uses: https://hilahcooking.com/learn-to-cook-oils/

  10. Tawn on September 10, 2013 at 12:03 am

    Thank you! This was delicious. Unfortunately it also reminded me why I can’t cook with bean flours. :/
    I tried it again a few days ago with equal weight in brown rice flour. It wasn’t as crisp (which adds to the deliciousness) but it still worked well. I’m so thankful to have a gluten free “pizza” alternative that doesn’t require lots of prep.






    • Hilah on September 10, 2013 at 10:04 am

      Oh, thank you for that tip, Tawn! I’ve had other people ask if it could be used with rice flour. So happy to hear that it can be done.
      Thanks for doing the experimenting and for following up! 🙂

  11. Kristi ~ Necessary Indulgences on January 8, 2014 at 10:24 am

    Yes! This is exactly what I was looking for. I will make this ASAP and report back. Thank you!

    • Hilah on January 8, 2014 at 1:54 pm

      Yay! I love this recipe so hard!

  12. Great Stone Face on January 10, 2014 at 9:13 am

    My plan is to use your basic socca recipe to make appetizers for our neighborhood potluck euchre group tomorrow. There will be 28 people, but since everyone is bringing stuff, I’ll just quadruple your recipe and make it for 16. For the dried herbs, I’ll use za’atar that I bought at the Persian market. There will probably be some grated lemon peel in the batter as well. I’ll top the baked socca just with some crumbled feta and no veggies, then broil to melt. How does that sound? To cut down on the time for a 4X batch, I’ll probably bake double batches in a Pyrex lasagna pan — I hope it’ll take the temperatures well enough. I do have a jumbo cast iron pan, too, so maybe I’ll use that instead. Sound good? If I’m successful, I’ll try post a photo on Instagram & G+.






    • Hilah on January 10, 2014 at 12:19 pm

      It sounds VERY good! You’ll probably get a crispier crust in the cast iron than the pyrex, but it might not be enough to make a difference. Let me know for sure. That would be great if it works.

  13. Great Stone face on January 11, 2014 at 6:41 pm
  14. John Phelps on May 11, 2016 at 8:09 am

    Hilah, come on! You listed hot tap water in your ingredients. Have you ever cut into an old hot water tank and peered inside? You’ll find the most disgusting mess you’ve ever seen. Never use hot tap water for drinking or cooking, please pretty mama.

  15. John Phelps on May 11, 2016 at 8:17 am

    By the way, your recipe looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it!

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