Pizza is one of my absolute favorite foods. It's extremely versatile, doesn't take too long to prepare, and is pretty much always going to be good. While I'm calling this recipe a flatbread, for all intents and purposes, let's just be honest, this is basically a pizza. However, what makes this a flatbread instead of a pizza, is a fantastic shortcut, that not only makes this flatbread delicious, but also extremely easy and fast to make.

Traditional pizza crust is not my favorite thing to make from scratch. While there is something a little "romantic" about making pizza the traditional way, it's just not always practical. But you don't have to use traditional pizza crust to make a pizza. This recipe uses an Italian flatbread called farinata, and it's without a doubt, my new favorite recipe.

Farinata is described as a chickpea pancake, but in this recipe, it reminds me more of focaccia bread. A little bit fluffy and crispy around the edges, with a surprisingly delightful natural flavor, despite consisting of only chickpea flour, olive oil, water, and salt. A quick pancake like batter and 15 minutes in the oven, and you've got the easiest, most flavorful crust you've ever eaten.

Because farinata is so great on it's own, I wanted to keep this recipe simple. I initially tried a few variations, but ultimately decided it was best to wait for peach season. Sweet peaches and tangy balsamic are a classic fit, and perfectly match with the savory farinata and creamy Mozzarella cheese. It's a super simple and delicious recipe that I've been waiting to share for weeks now.

What was the holdup you might ask? Well, I decided to make this recipe into my second episode of "Cookin' with Ben." And it took a really long time to edit. So please watch, share, and enjoy!

Peach Balsamic Flatbread with Farinata Crust

Servings: 2-4

Ingredients

Farinata

2 cups chickpea flour

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings

8 oz fresh Mozzarella cheese

1-2 small peaches, pitted and sliced

1 cup thinly sliced red onion

1 cup fresh arugula

Balsamic glaze to taste

Preheat oven to 475ºF. In a large bowl, stir together the chickpea flour and salt. Slowly whisk in 1 1/4 cups warm water, beating until no lumps remain. Stir in olive oil, and pour into a 12" x 9" parchment lined baking sheet. Bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes, until the crust is set and lightly browned around the edges.
Remove the crust from the oven. Top with hand torn pieces of fresh Mozzarella, sliced peaches, and onion, and return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is bubbly.
Remove from the oven, top with fresh arugula, and drizzle with balsamic glaze

Tips

If you've got a good non-stick pan, you can probably skip the parchment paper lining. My pans have all been thoroughly abused, so the parchment is necessary for me!
Don't worry too much about lumps in your batter. You just want to make sure you're not leaving any pockets of raw flour, but it doesn't need to be perfectly smooth.
I used store bought balsamic glaze, but if you want to go all out, feel free to make your own balsamic reduction.