Chickpea flour, also known as gram flour or besan, is a great ingredient, high in protein and fibre and gluten-free to boot!

I guess that, in the UK, it’s best known for being the flour you make onion bhaji with, but it features around the Mediterranean in a variety of flatbread-type recipes and is also made into fried chip-like snacks. They go by various names: socca, farinata, kalinta and panisse, to name a few.

This simple flatbread has just two main ingredients: gram flour and water. I add salt, pepper and nigella seeds on this occasion. I often add herbs and/or spring onion/scallion.

They’re a flatbread to use straight away; if left in the fridge, they’ll crack when rolled. When they’re like that, I eat them with toppings or with dips just spooned on.

Ingredients

250 g Gram flour, sieved
400 g Water
2 tsp Nigella seeds
4 g Salt
Black pepper to taste

Variations: add finely chopped spring onion, herbs or spices of your choice.

Mix the water and flour and whisk to get a lump-free batter. Leave for 2 to 3 hours for the flour to fully hydrate. Then, add the other ingredients and adjust the consistency of the batter to halfway between single and double cream. (between half-and-half and heavy cream).

Cook in a lightly oiled pan on medium heat. Turn them over with the aid of a spatula when the underside is cooked. I use very little oil, sprayed onto the pan, so I have to ease them off the pan with the spatula.

The recipe will make 10-12 flatbreads/pancakes.