Italian Farinata Chickpea Flatbread (La Cecina Toscana)
Updated May 12, 2024, Published Aug 12, 2020
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Italian Farinata Flatbread aka La Cecina Toscana is the most incredible chickpea flatbread made with just 3 basic ingredients. It’s crispy and delicious on the outside with the most delicious creamy middle.
La Farinata also known as La Cecina or Torta di Ceci in Tuscany is an Italian snack that’s super nostalgic to me.
When we first moved to Italy we kept seeing signs in bakery windows for La Cecina Toscana and to be honest it didn’t look like much, a thin golden yellow flatbread sold by the slice or inside a focaccia sandwich.
Once we tried it, however, it instantly became our favourite snack, crispy on top, sprinkled with salt and sometimes rosemary with a slightly creamy middle.
Omg, it’s so good and making it at home is super easy you just need to follow a few simple tips to get it perfect!
Ingredients – what you need
All you need to make La Farinata is; chickpea flour, water, olive oil and salt! It may seem too simple to be anything special but trust me it truly is. See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need!
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Pin ItHow to make this recipe – step by step
Sift the flour into a bowl, chickpea flour has a very chalky texture so this helps remove lumps (photo 1).
Whisk together the chickpea flour, salt and water (add the water gradually to avoid any lumps) when the batter is nice and smooth add the olive oil and stir together (photos 2-4).
Leave the batter to rest for 2 hours.
Pour the flatbread batter into a well oiled, thin pizza tray or baking tray no more than 0.5mm thick (photos 5 & 6).
Bake in the oven for 20 minutes until it’s nice and golden on top.
Sprinkle over some coarse salt and some rosemary sprigs (optional) followed by a drizzle of olive oil. Cut into slices and serve hot.
Top tips and recipe FAQs
- Grease the pan – Make sure your tray or skillet (even if it’s non-stick) is well oiled. I use around 1 tbsp of olive oil, that way it doesn’t stick to the tray and it can be removed easily.
- baking the flatbread – You can use any shape pan or baking tray you just need to make sure that the batter is 5mm 1/4 inch thick. If using a baking tray make sure that it isn’t too thin or has any ridges. Thin baking trays buckle with the heat of the oven and ridges will give an uneven flatbread.
- Variations – you can add herbs such as rosemary to the batter to infuse or even add in veggies that need using up.
- Serving – La Farinata is always best served hot straight from the oven. You can simply eat it by the slice or serve it inside a roll or focaccia.
- Batter – The batter is very liquidy it shouldn’t be thick at all.
It’s likely that foam will form on top of the batter as you whisk in the water, if you prefer you can skim it off with a spoon but it’s not essential and doesn’t effect the flavour.
A good sign that it’s ready is when the flatbread comes away from the edge or the skillet or baking tray. It should be golden brown on top.
la farinata is a cross between the two it’s crispy but creamy in the middle. You can eat it like a slice of pizza or stuff it inside a sandwich.
Leftovers can be stored in a sealed air-tight container for 2-3 days.
More tasty Italian snacks you might like
- La Piadina – Italian flatbread
- 5 Minute Marinated Olives
- Crispy Fried Sage Leaves with Anchovies
- Bruschetta al Pomodoro
If you’ve tried La Farinata (Cecina) Flatbread or any other recipe on the blog please let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
This post was first published on August 3rd 2017 but has since been updated.
Step By Step Photos Above
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Italian Farinata Chickpea Flatbread (La Cecina Toscana)
Ingredients
- 2 cups chickpea flour (besan or gram flour), (250g)
- 3 cups water, (665ml)
- 5 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes or kosher salt
For topping
- coarse salt
- olive oil
Instructions
- Sift the chickpea flour into a large bowl then add a pinch of salt (about 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes).
- Gradually add in the water whislt whisking to avoid any lumps (there may be an odd few). Add olive oil and stir.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for 2 hours (no need to refridgerate.)
- Once rested pre-heat the oven to 450F/230C.
- Oil an oven safe skillet, pizza pan or baking tray with olive oil (about 1 tbsp should be enough). I used a 10 inch round pan (there's enough batter to make two this size).
- Pour the batter into the skillet until 0.5cm or 1/4 inch thick (it shouldn't be any higher) and bake in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden on top and crispy around the edges.
- Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before removing to a cutting board. Sprinkle with a little pinch of sea salt flakes and cut into slices. Eat while hot!
Notes
- Grease the pan – Make sure your tray or skillet (even if it’s non-stick) is well oiled. I use around 1 tbsp of olive oil, that way it doesn’t stick to the tray and it can be removed easily.
- baking the flatbread – You can use any shape pan or baking tray you just need to make sure that the batter is 5mm 1/4 inch thick. If using a baking tray make sure that it isn’t too thin or has any ridges. Thin baking trays buckle with the heat of the oven and ridges will give an uneven flatbread.
- Variations – you can add herbs such as rosemary to the batter to infuse or even add in veggies that need using up.
- Serving – La Farinata is always best served hot straight from the oven. You can simply eat it by the slice or serve it inside a roll or focaccia.
- Batter – The batter is very liquidy it shouldn’t be thick at all.
Helpful Info for All Recipes
- I always use extra virgin olive oil in all of my recipes unless stated otherwise
- When I use canned or jarred tomatoes of any kind I always use Cirio or Mutti brands for the best results and flavour.
- All vegetables are medium sized unless stated otherwise
- All recipes are tested and developed using a fan (convection) oven
- Find out more about how nutrition is calculated.
- Check out our must have Italian Pantry Staples.
- You can also find all our Essential Kitchen Tools for Italian Cooking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Such a great recipe, thank you very much! I greased the pan with butter instead of oil but had oil in the chickpea batter.
I made this and it came out very well. I added quite a few things: cilantro, garlic, pepper, herbs (Italian seasoning) and shredded sharp cheddar both in the mix as well as adding some on top. I used an 11×17″ pan and was able to pour everything in and not have the batter nearly go over the side of the pan when putting it into the oven. Since that has more total square inches than the 2 10″ pans mentioned, I guess it was a little thinner. Am about to make some more to serve to a gluten-free friend.
Can these be frozen to eat later?
Thanks
I Liz, I don’t think it’ll freeze well.
I made the farinata last night and it was delicious. My only tweak would be to add a little salt. I baked it in tge oven on a quarter sheet pan lined with parchment. This morning I grilled some of the leftovers, like you would polenta, and placed poached eggs on top. Yum!
Parchment is a great tip to stop it sticking. Also love the way you used leftovers, sounds delicious!