Oct 3, 2013

Chickpea bread


Marzio talked about this bread. Marzio was our Italian neighbor. His caravan was just across from our tents, in Croatia. He knew about cooking, was very energetic and friendly. Romans and Greeks knew about chickpea bread 2000 years ago. And won some wars thanks to it, the legend has it. Centuries later, this traditional Italian farinata di cieci was called "the gold of Pisa".

Recipe adapted from Giallo Zafferano
time: 5 min preparation + 10 hrs inactive + 45 min baking

ingredients
  • 300 g (10.5oz) dry chickpeas or chickpea flour
  • 900 ml (3 3/4 cups) water, room temperature
  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • pepper
3 Tablespoons olive oil for the baking sheet

instructions
  1. Using a good blander, blend chickpeas till flour. In a medium bowl, place your chickpea flour and pour in water mixing it in with a spoon or a bubble whisk till all smooth. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap. The mix should rest now for a total of 10 hours, but during the last 5 hours, give it a little stir a couple of times, if you are there.
  2. Preheat oven to 220C/425F (fan forced). Cover your baking sheet with oil. 
  3. Mix in 1/2 cup olive oil and salt to the chickpea mix. Pour the liquid onto the prepared form. Bake it in the hot oven for 30 minutes, till deep golden on top. Then turn on the grill function (on low) only and keep it in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Take it out, sprinkle with pepper on top.

notes
  • long but easy recipe
  • leaving longer than 10 hours is not advised
  • it asks for a round 40cm/16inch baking form
  • I used a 44x31cm/17x12 inch expandable baking form; any bigger is not recommended for the amounts above; you can use two smaller ones; 
  • the liquid should be about 1 cm (less 1/2 inch) deep in the form
  • this bread kind of tastes like cornbread not like chickpeas
  • moist, soft, delicate in flavor, goes with anything
  • good warm or cold and we cant' stop picking on it.

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