-
1
Whisk the Batter Until Smooth
5 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Put the chickpea flour in a large bowl. Pour in the water a little at a time, whisking constantly, until you have a smooth, thin batter with no lumps. Whisk in 15 g of the olive oil, the salt and the black pepper.
Adding the water gradually is the trick — dumping it in all at once makes lumps that no amount of whisking will fix.
Done when: Batter is smooth and pourable, like thin cream, with no dry pockets.
-
2
Rest the Batter
30 Mins
Room temperature, ~20°C (68°F)
Cover the bowl and leave the batter to rest for 30 minutes. It will thicken a little and any last lumps will dissolve. Give it one last whisk before baking — it should flow easily off the whisk.
Use the resting time to oil the pan and heat the oven; the pan must be screaming hot when the batter goes in.
Done when: Batter is slightly thicker, smooth and lump-free.
-
3
Heat the Oven and the Pan
10 Mins
230°C (450°F)
Heat the oven to 230°C (450°F). Pour the remaining 30 g of oil into the pizza pan and put the pan in the oven for 5–10 minutes until the oil is shimmering hot and just starting to smoke.
A cold pan makes a pale, soggy faina; the hot oiled pan is what crisps the base and edges.
Done when: Oil is shimmering and very hot; the pan is too hot to touch.
-
4
Pour and Bake Until Deep Gold
25 Mins
230°C (450°F)
Carefully pull the hot pan out, give the batter one last whisk, and pour it in — it should sizzle on contact and spread to about 1 cm thick. Bake for 20–25 minutes until the top is deep gold with darker toasted patches, the edges pull away from the pan, and the centre is set but still soft when pressed.
Do not open the oven for the first 15 minutes — the faina needs the full heat to rise and set.
Done when: Top is deep gold and blistered in patches; the centre is set, soft and custardy, not wet.
-
5
Cut and Serve Hot
5 Mins
Serving hot, ~70°C (158°F)
Leave the faina in the pan for 2 minutes, then slide it onto a board and cut into 8 wedges. Serve two wedges per person, about 158 g, with plenty of black pepper — on its own, or laid over a slice of pizza, a caballo, the Buenos Aires way.
Faina is at its best in the first 15 minutes out of the oven, while the top is still crisp and the inside is soft.
Done when: Wedges hold their shape; the base is crisp and golden, the inside tender.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve the faina hot and crisp-edged, cut into wedges, with black pepper on the table — and if there is pizza, lay a wedge over a slice, a caballo, and eat them together in one bite.
Argentina
1h 25m
