Recipes > Gluten–Free Crêpes or Flatbread
- Serves: 2 to 4
- Active Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 1 hr - 3 hrs
- Views: 39,869
- Success Rating: 100% (?)
Steps
Method
Using a blender or food processor, add the chickpea flour, water, oil, salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Pulse in the fresh rosemary. Cover the batter and let rest for a couple of hours at room temperature—or refrigerated overnight.
Alternatively, the batter can be mixing together in a bowl.
*Note: Depending on how and what you are serving the crêpes/flatbread with, you may want to adjust the amount of salt.
Method
There are two ways to use this batter, depending on if you prefer traditional French–style crêpes or a crispy flatbread.
For Traditional Crêpes:
Place a crêpe pan or similar pan on medium heat and coat with spray oil. (Using a non–stick pan is easiest). Ladle approximately 1/3 cup of batter on the pan and whether using a crêpe spatula or simply moving the pan around, ensure that the batter is spread around to evenly coat the bottom of the pan.
While the crêpe is cooking, it will begin to become lacy around the edges and more golden in color. Gently slip a spatula under the edge of the crêpe and go around to slightly lift and loosen the sides. Once bubbles have formed around the edges and middle, it is time to flip. Flip carefully or add filling to half of the crêpe and fold over. Allow to cook for another minute, then remove from pan and serve.
Note: Often the first crêpe does not come out well and is used to test the pan for the perfect temperature.
For Crispy Flatbread:
To make the flatbread, pre-heat oven to 475°F (245°C). Once hot, place a well-seasoned cast-iron pan—an 8-inch one is a good size—into the hot oven and let it heat through. Once the pan is good and hot, carefully using an oven mitt, remove from the oven. Next, add about a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and swirl it around. Then pour in the batter, being sure not to go thicker than 1/2 inch thick. Then carefully place the fry pan back into the oven and bake for about 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden and crisp. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with a bit more fresh rosemary and flaked sea salt, if desired. Remove from the pan and serve immediately.
Another delicious way to cook the flatbread is to add onions to it. To do this, slice up half an onion and sauté over medium high heat until golden brown. If making this version, I also like to add the rosemary at this point, rather then adding it to the batter at the beginning. Once the onions are cooked, add the chopped rosemary and cook for about 30 seconds. At this point, add the onions and rosemary to the batter and proceed as above.
Chef's Notes
- by Dawn Thomas
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- January 13, 2014
Try filling crêpes with sautéed greens or mushrooms and top with Horseradish Béchamel for a delicious lunch.
In Italy, this dish is called a Farinata. It is a traditional Italian baked crispy flatbread, originating in Liguria. There is also a French variation called Socca.
14 Comments
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how much is 1bsp of rosemary????
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Rouxbe Staff
That's been fixed now.... it was trying to to say "1 Tbsp" - thanks for letting us know. ~Ken -
Can you omit the oil or is there a substitute?
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Hi Beth - So you can probably omit the oil (I make these every Sunday for the kids and sometimes omit the oil myself). Or, another option is to try Avocado, Macadamia Nut or Coconut Oil (my kids favorite flavor profile). Thanks for learning with Rouxbe! Chef Kirk
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Can you use another GF flour than chickpea, like amaranth or oat or a mixture of the two? Thanks, Patricia
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Hi Patricia and thanks for your question. I made these crepes/socca for my kids every Sunday but haven't ever tried with amaranth or oat but don't see why that would not work? I would go with the mixture of the two - just to see how it comes out. My family loves the lightness of the socca. The amaranth flour is going to be nutty and super nutritious while your oat flour will add some fiber. I look forward to hearing how they turn out! Thanks for cooking with Rouxbe Patricia! All the best, Chef Kirk
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I made the flatbread and it stuck to the cast iron pan. I followed the directions exactly, using the oil and a well-seasoned pan and was a bit shocked that it stuck. I don't normally have that problem in my pan. Any tips for next time? The crumbs were delicious and I'd like to make this again.
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Hi Hope and thanks for your comments. I'm sorry that your flatbread stuck but super happy that you are keen to try again. It sounds like you are doing everything correctly - your seasoned cast-iron pan is piping hot, etc. I've owned my cast-iron pan for over 20 years and it took a long time and many failed recipes until the seasoning and temperament of this beast was just right! It sounds like, perhaps, that your pan may just need a few trial runs to get to that perfectly seasoned, etc point. That said, one technique that I tried a few times before really getting great results was to fill the bottom of my cast-iron with salt and bake in the oven. Allow the pan to cool, discard salt and repeat. I found that this process nicely seasoned the pan while setting it up to prevent sticking. I never, ever, never wash this particular pan with dish soap either. Hot water and a thorough drying, after each use. If you haven't tried that technique yet Hope, give it a shot and let me know how it goes. I appreciate your cooking with Rouxbe. All the best, Chef Kirk
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Could you please explain what is the reason for resting the dough? Thanks in advance.
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Hi Maria and thanks for your question. So from a Food Science perspective , we typically allow batters that include flour to rest so that the gluten strands have a chance to relax, allowing starch molecules in the flour to be absorbed in the liquid in the batter. This causes them to swell and gives the batter a thicker, more viscous consistency - resulting in a texture that is delicate instead of chewy. For gluten-free batters, like this recipe, this resting step is still important because while gluten hasn't been developed, resting does ensures a thin and uniform structure to the finished product, and helps deliver a smooth to the bite, crêpe. I hope this helps Maria and thanks for cooking with Rouxbe! Chef Kirk
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Regrettably. the crepes were a complete disaster. I let the batter sit in the fridge overnight, and it looked good. When I began cooking, the bottom of the crepes got burnt and stuck to the pan, while the top was not cooked through. So there was no way I could them. I don't have a non-stick pan, but I used a ceramic pan which I use for making Russian crepes (blini) and it works well. By the way, I had the same problem with the Russian crepes before (bottom stuck and burnt, top not cooked), but I have since found a recipe that works like a charm. Maybe this recipe also requires some tweaking to work with my pan. How much should a cup of chickpea flour weigh? The humidity where I live is very high, so maybe measuring the flour by volume means that I use more flour that has been intended for the recipe.
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Rouxbe Staff
Natalia, one cup of chickpea flour weight approximately 3.5 ounces. This can vary a bit depending on the coarseness of the grind, as well as, as you mention, humidity. -
Can I use buckwheat flour in place of the chickpea flour?
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Rouxbe Staff
Hello, Catherine: yes, you can substitute the chickpea flour (besan) with buckwheat flour. Let us know how it turns out for you. It should work well. Cheers, Char
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