Sometimes I just want a piece of bread to go with a meal. Most store bought gluten free breads are expensive and tasteless. When I saw this recipe for chickpea flour flatbread I decided to try it. This is extremely easy to make and stores well in the fridge. Above is the cookie sheet with the cooked Chickpea Flatbread which I later cut into triangles and squares.
2.5 cups chickpea flour (I used Bob's Red Mill)
3.5 cups cold tap water
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
optional spices mixed and stored for multiple uses:
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
1 teaspoon file gumbo powder (ground sassafras leaves)
In medium bowl measure chickpea flour and salt. Whisk in water a little at a time to avoid lumps. Set aside for at least 3 hours. Chickpea flour needs time to completely absorb liquid since the flour is very dense.
After 3 hours or so preheat oven to 350 F. In a high sided sheet cake pan pour in the olive oil and tip pan to coat the complete bottom. Next pour by cupfuls the chickpea batter a little at a time in a grid fashion to fill the pan. I used a cup measuring cup with a pour spout. If using the optional spices sprinkle them over the top. I placed these spices in a spice container with a shaker top to evenly distribute them. I get the blank containers at my grocery store. Carefully place flatbread pan in oven and bake for 30-35 minutes. (I used a cookie sheet but I am definitely investing in a high sided cake pan because it is nearly impossible to move the batter in a cookie sheet to the oven without spilling it).
Remove pan from oven and let cool for 20 minutes or so before cutting. Serve hot with butter or some parmesan cheese grated over the top. Good with soups or perhaps pesto slathered over the top. Maybe your favorite dip would be a welcome addition. If you store it in fridge you can heat up in a 200 F oven for 20 minutes and it will be just like fresh baked.
EXCEPT this doesn't taste like what I expected any flatbread to taste like. It tastes like bland polenta even though I added the spices. Perhaps it needed to be poured thinner to be a flat bread. I also wonder about a leavening agent and if it would have helped. Back to the drawing board. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.
Chick peas are bland by nature. I make this almost the same recipe but make thin layers so it’s more like a cracker. I like to sprinkle it with coarse salt before baking.
ReplyDeleteHi Suzi, thanks, I will try it again with half the recipe then so it is thinner. Curiously the recipe said that it can be added to soups and will not lose its shape, kind of like a noodle
ReplyDeleteDefinitely thin layers. And there are flatbread recipes you can quickly fry rather than bake. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, thanks, will look for a better technique and recipe next time.
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