Chickpea Flour

I’ve been busy cleaning out our freezer, finding bits and bobs of things I stashed away for future use. In the back corner of the upper shelf was a bag of Greek chickpea flour or ρεβιθάλευρο I had found in the central market after my supply of Italian milled farini di ceci had been depleted last autumn. At the time I bought it, I was intent on making more batches of the traditional chickpea flatbread – Tuscan cecina, Ligurian farinata. I had made cecina several times just after we came back from Garfagnana last year which I mentioned in one of my IMK posts.

However, as the Garfagnana euphoria eventually wore off, real life returned and I realised cecina wasn’t something I would make on a regular basis. Hence, the ρεβιθάλευρο still lingering in the freezer. I might make cecina again sometime, but now, I was hankering after some nice and soft, yeasty and yummy Derbyshire oatcakes. I could have ground some porridge oats to create oat flour and then proceed from there, but this bag of ρεβιθάλευρο was there. Plus, I’ve been wanting to use some of my sourdough starter to make pancakes (American ‘flapjacks’). This recipe was the result – slightly nutty with a only a hint of the underlying chickpea. It was very tasty.

Chickpea pancakes
There are many Indian recipes out there for this sort of pancake (only larger in diameter) that add spices, herbs and occasionally vegetables to the mix that is sometimes called a chickpea omelette. But, as a plain pancake is very good with the usual sweet toppings.

Makes about 20 pancakes

• 375g chickpea flour
• 250g warm water
• 250g warm milk
• 300g sourdough starter (100% hydratation)
• 2 teaspoons salt

The evening before, feed your starter about half an hour before measuring it and adding it to the ingredients. Whisk all the ingredients together in a large bowl until you have a loose batter. Place clingfilm over the bowl and place in refrigerator overnight. The next day, get the bowl out of the refrigerator a few hours before use to bring it back to room temperature. The batter will have thickened and now have yeasty bubbles on top.

Lightly oil a non-stick pan or griddle and bring it up to medium heat. Ladle on the batter. In a few minutes bubbles will form the top. When the bubbles stay open, it is time to lift and flip. Let it cook for another minute or so while the bottom browns.

Continue cooking by lightly oiling the pan before each batch is ladled. Stack the pancakes in a warm place until you are finished and ready to serve.

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Because of its natural affinity with Indian foods, I might try savoury chickpea pancakes next time – a spicy chickpea ‘omelette’. There is still some ρεβιθάλευρο left in the freezer and I know where to get more.