Farinata flatbread is a cross between polenta and a pizza. I serve it as a super simple dinner that I know my kids will eat. Best of all, since it’s made with chickpea flour, it’s also gluten-free!
I first discovered farinata flatbread in Italy. As a gluten-free person, I missed out on quite a bit of Italian cuisine. However, I was so excited when it appeared on the menu at a pizzeria in Torino!
It was unappetizingly described as “chickpea gruel”. But since it was the first time I had actually seen a GF menu item at a restaurant in Italy, I had to try it. Gruel was a poor translation for a dish that was a delicious cross between polenta and pizza.
I’ve noticed that farinata is often confused with socca. I’m not sure where that came from, because in my experience they are two fairly different dishes. While they are both made with chickpea flour, socca is a crepe, not a thick, oven-baked flatbread.
Check out my personal blog to learn more about my GF travel experiences and get my recipe for socca.
I love farinata Flatbread
I really do love farinata. It’s one of my favorite go-to meals for any night when I can’t think of anything else to make. I love it because:
- It literally only takes 20 minutes to bake farinata. Just set up the batter in the morning, and you’ve got your dinner made.
- Farinata is the perfect way to use up whatever vegetables are in your kitchen. (See the next section for a few of my favorite flavor combinations).
- Best of all, my kids love it and always eat their fill. (Yea for eating beans!)
Serving options
The key to farinata flatbread’s deliciousness is in the toppings. Toppings can be either baked into the bread or served on top. Here’s how to add toppings to your farinata.
Baked Toppings:
Baked toppings are like pizza toppings. They are added to farinata flatbread prior to baking. Really, any of your favorite pizza toppings will work. Here are some that we particularly enjoy:
- Sautéed mushrooms with rosemary
- Sliced onion and tomato with grated cheddar cheese
- Roasted butternut squash and crumbled blue cheese (this was what I was served in Italy)
Fresh Toppings:
Fresh toppings are added AFTER the farinata has finished baking. These are like sandwich fillings and they don’t get cooked into the batter.
- Tomato with basil and goat cheese
- Arugula, mozzarella and balsamic vinaigrette
- Oven-roasted peppers, zucchini, and eggplant
Sauces:
Like polenta, farinata can be served as a base for a rich and flavorful sauce. Here are a few delicious combinations:
- Serve with your favorite tomato sauce
- Oven baked ratatouille
- Farinata baked with broccoli florets, served with pesto
- Baked tomato flatbread with a creamy cheese sauce
Farinata Flatbread
Farinata is a quick and delicious flatbread that is a cross between polenta and a pizza. Since it’s made with chickpea flour, it is also gluten-free and vegan. Serve it with pizza toppings or fresh vegetables, and sauces. See the section above for 10 serving suggestions.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Batter
- 2/3 cup chickpea flour or garfava flour
- 3/4 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Remaining Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Choice of toppings (see section above for suggestions)
Instructions
- Combine all the batter ingredients in a large measuring cup or bowl. Allow the chickpea flour to soak for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours to fully hydrate.
- Oil an 8-inch round ovenproof dish with olive oil. Pour batter into the pan. The batter should be about 1/4 inch thick.
- Add any toppings you want to bake into the farinata, or leave it plain and add toppings after baking. See the section above for some suggestions.
- Bake at 400 F for 20-30 minutes. Allow to cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- I often like to add a sourdough flavor to my farinata by adding a bit of culture to the batter. Adding 1 Tbsp of culture per batch will help the chickpeas ferment. Feel free to use whatever you have on hand: whey, vegetable brine, or soured kombucha all work nicely.
- I usually use a cast iron skillet
for a single batch of farinata. For a triple batch of farinata, I use a large cookie sheet with 1″ sides
. Just avoid using a springform pan because the batter is runny and may leak.
for a single batch of farinata. For a triple batch of farinata, I use a large cookie sheet with 1″ sides
. Just avoid using a springform pan because the batter is runny and may leak.Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 farinata (no toppings)
- Calories: 303
- Sugar: 7.1g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 11g
- Saturated Fat: 1.4g
- Carbohydrates: 40.6g
- Fiber: 11.7g
- Protein: 12.9g
- Cholesterol: 0mg
Keywords: gluten free, grain free, vegan, egg free, dairy free, pizza, bread, pancake, polenta, fall, winter
A yummy GF alternative for pizza. I like it cheesy.
★★★★★
This worked really well! I made a roasted red pepper sauce for topping. Probably should have thrown on some parmesan as well, but my son said it was flavourful enough without cheese (amazing for him to say that!)
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed it. It is one of our favourite recipes!
i love this recipe, it’s got so many possible ingredients/combinations!
★★★★★
Thanks!
Emillie, thanks so much for this recipe (and your site). I’m a fermented food enthusiast and I was pleasantly surprised to find this take on using chickpea/besan flour. I made my take on these for my wife and she loved them. Then of course I had to play around a bit. I used the remaining batter as a starter for a new batch and then made some “pancakes”. For me this is another take one of my favorites, dosas!
Thanks again!
★★★★★
Thanks for sharing! I love the idea of a perpetual chickpea sourdough.