Chickpea sweet potato flatbread with basil pesto

So during quarantine pandemic shopping all the yeast and flour got sold out. No worries, this gluten-free chickpea and sweet potato flatbread is made without yeast, doesn’t require a dutch-oven nor banneton, and it is a no-knead bread without any waiting, timing or waking up early to attend to it rising. No starter culture, no baking soda, no eggs, no stand mixer, no bread machine..simply a no-hassle, budget-friendly bread that will keep you satiated longer as it’s made with complex carbs (though technically not a whole grain bread as its grain-free) and healthier than regular bread! And its delicious. Win-win all around.

For those who don’t have a fridge this vegan, high-protein flatbread is a nice lunch to pack outside or for other lunches I recommend this freezer lunch bag.

I like to use a ready mix of chickpea and fava flour such as by Bob’s Red mill for best taste, rather than chickpea flour alone though that will work too just with more seasonings like garlic and nutritional yeast/parmesan. It has a slightly ethnic taste that pairs well with the pesto and I really enjoyed making it many times before quarantine. I didn’t remember to take a good picture of the whole flatbread as I dug right in 😛

Flatbread:

1 3/4 cup chickpea & fava flour (it may be under Grabanzo bean & fava flour)

3 medium sweet potatoes, baked soft

2 tbsp ground flax+ 4 tbsp water, mixed and allowed to sit 5 min

Tsp olive oil,

Few basil leaves or dill, stems removed, diced

Pinch garlic powder and paprika

S&p

Optional variation: tsp-tbsp nutritional yeast

Preheat oven to 420 degrees. Prep flax egg by mixing flax and water and letting it sit for 5 minutes. Place all into a food processor and mix or a bowl and mash the sweet potatoes with a masher and mix well. Line sheet pan or pizza pan with parchment paper. Press the dough down with hands. Bake 35-40 min or until golden brown.

In the meantime, if pesto is desired prepare the dairy free basil pesto as below.

In a food chopper or the small bowl of a food processor combine 2 cups fresh basil (stems removed), handful of parsley (stems removed), 4 tbsp pine nuts, 2 garlic cloves, 3-4.5 tbsp olive oil, 2 tbsp of lemon juice and sea salt. Pulse a few times stopping to scrape down the sides of every so often.

Once your flat bread is ready, top with pesto and let it cool for 10 minutes before slicing. I have also sometimes placed the pesto on the raw or half baked flatbread, topped with sliced bell peppers or other veggies and then baked it all together, depends how you like your pesto pizza.

Enjoy this vegan high-protein, gluten-free flatbread with tomatoes or other favourite toppings. If you do eat cheese I am sure some parmesan would work here too.

This recipe is inspired by Socca, a chickpea flatbread recipe, but I have added sweet potato which I think gives it a better flavor and its easier than socca crepes to make.