Here is another flatbread recipe that Jeff kindly shared from his book, Bread: A Baker’s Book of Techniques and Recipes, 2nd edition. And, in my humble opinion, one of the easiest, simplest and tastiest flatbreads you can make at home.
“Socca is a regional specialty of the area around Nice in southern France. It is also popular in Genoa, Italy, where it is known as farinata.” I have never had it in Nice but we had bought some off a street vendor in Genoa five years ago when we visited Liguria. A trip I well remember as we had to cut it short: my mom -who lived in Paris- had been taken ill and hospitalized.
We hadn’t gotten the call yet when we shared the smoking slice of pure bliss. I remember there was no rosemary or other topping: just salt and a fair amount of pepper and it was perfect. Sorry, no picture, which tells you how excited (and hungry) we were. Jeff’s is just as good. Try it!
I know I will, first chance I get (that is as soon as the heat wave abates where we live and we can stand lighting the oven again).
Method:
- Sift the flour and salt into a bowl
- Add the water and the olive oil and whisk until smooth
- Let the batter rest for at least two hours
- Liberally oil two 14″ pizza pans. Heat the pans in the oven
- When the oil is hot, pour the batter evenly into the pans (the batter should be about ¼” thick)
- Bake the socca in 500° F oven until it is dark and crispy, 10–15 minutes, depending upon the heat of the oven
- Finish by broiling the the socca for 3 to 5 minutes until the surface is mottled
- Cut into rectangles and eat while warm. The top and bottom should be crispy, and the center creamy and moist.
Variations:
. A very light sprinkling of rosemary
. Artichoke hearts that have been steamed or lightly sautéed and thinly sliced
. Niçoise olives
Note: it is best to add the artichokes or the olives a few into the bake so that they don’t sink to the bottom.
Tips
- It is a very wet batter. Like water. In fact hydration may need to go up to 250% (depending on the flour)
- Heat the pans to smoking before pouring in the batter
- When done, the socca should be a little crusty on the outside and creamy inside.
Brushjl says
I must have made this wrong, it was just very bland with a cardboard like texture.