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1
Whisk the chickpea flour into the water in a steady stream, working out lumps until a completely smooth, very liquid batter forms. Add the salt and olive oil and whisk once more to incorporate. The batter is correct when it coats a spoon only as lightly as whole milk would.
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2
Cover the batter and leave it at room temperature for 4–6 hours, stirring occasionally. Full hydration has been reached when the batter is perfectly uniform with no raw-flour graininess detectable between the fingers — insufficient rest produces a grainy finished farinata.
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3
Skim all foam from the surface of the rested batter with a flat spoon until the surface is mirror-still. Foam left in the pan will crack the crust during baking.
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4
Place the copper pan in the oven and heat the oven to its absolute maximum — 300 °C at minimum, wood-fired if available. When the oven is at temperature, remove the pan, coat the base and sides generously with olive oil, then pour in batter to a depth of exactly 5 mm. This is where the dish lives or dies: a lower temperature produces a rubbery interior rather than the defining custardy set, and a pan too cool at the moment of pouring will fail to begin the bottom-cook immediately.
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5
Return the pan to the oven and bake for 8 minutes without opening the door. The farinata is done when the surface is spotted golden-brown across its area, the edges have taken a faint colour, and the centre, though set, yields slightly when the pan is given a short lateral shake — do not exceed 10 minutes or the custardy centre will dry out.
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6
Remove from the oven and grind black pepper generously over the surface. Cut into rough slabs and serve immediately: the interior is correct when it is custardy and yielding against the tongue, not firm throughout. Farinata toughens rapidly as it cools and should be eaten within 10 minutes of leaving the oven.