Chickpea Flatbread

This was my first time cooking with chickpea flour and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised.   I'm always looking for gluten free recipes, and recipes that I can eat similar to bread, since I can't eat bread anymore.  This recipe seemed promising so I thought I'd give it a try. 

About chickpea flour:  It is low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.  It is a good source of dietary fiber, magnesium, copper, folate, and manganese. It is also a low glycemic food and therefore I would recommend this product to my diabetic clients. 

This recipe makes 6 pieces and you can use a 11 x 7 inch baking dish or a baking sheet pan.  Its nice if you cook it up thin so it's not too heavy. I like to top it with tomatoes that I normally make for brushetta, but use your imagination.  I also roasted some asparagus one night and put that on top. I've also done a pan of caramelized onions then added that to the pan prior to cooking so it cooks up in the flat bread. 

If I serve this as a meal I serve two pieces along with a salad. If I serve them as appetizers for a dinner party I serve one piece per person.  If it's cocktails I cut them into much smaller pieces and serve as finger food.  You can easily double this recipe and bake it on a baking sheet pan.  You would increase the temp to 450 and cook for 35 to 40 minutes. 

This takes a little advance planning as it has to sit for at least 2 hours before baking.   I prefer to allow it to sit for 6 hours or even overnight. I think it enhances the flavor. 

Ingredients: 
1 1/2 cups chickpea flour 
3 cups warm water 
1 tbsp sea salt 
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
1/4 cup olive oil  

Pour the water into a large bowl.  Slowly whisk in the chickpea flour, salt and pepper.  Let stand at room temp for 2 hours.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  

Stir in the rosemary and olive oil. 

Brush a sheet pan with olive oil then pour the batter into the pan.  It should be solid when done and slightly brown. 

Bake 40 minutes.  

Cut into 6 pieces.

Tomato topping:  Cut up two tomatoes into small dice and put into a bowl.  Add 2 to 3 cloves of minced garlic, salt and pepper, a tbsp or more or chopped basil, and two tbsp olive oil.  Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes for the flavors to develop.  

Another topping I would recommend would be grilled veggies. 

You could also other items prior to cooking:
caramelized onions
bacon
prosciutto
additional herbs
garlic 
cheese, pecorino, Parmesan etc. 
greens like escarole 

As you can see there are lots of things you can do with this recipe.