Description
A naturally fermented, spongy, gluten-free flatbread from Ethiopia is made from teff flour and water, using wild yeast to ferment over a couple of days. It is then cooked like a crepe and turned into a flavorful, tangy bread to serve with your favorite Ethiopian food. The fermentation process can take up to 2 or 3 days, depending on your climate. Injera is typically served with vegetables and/or meat on top where the bread is actually an eating utensil.
Ingredients
- ½ cup white teff flour
- ¼ cup brown teff flour
- 3 tablespoons white teff flour, divided, or as needed
- 1 cup water
- 3 tablespoons water, divided, or as needed
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil (Optional)
Instructions
- Mix 1/2 cup white teff flour and brown teff flour together in a bowl. Add 1 cup water and whisk well. Pour mixture into a glass container large enough to hold 3 times the original volume. Cover with cheesecloth or other breathable fabric to keep out dust; do not seal with plastic wrap as air circulation is vital. Leave covered container in a draft-free environment; the mixture needs air to be circulated in order to ferment. Stir batter 2 times over 24 hours.
- Check for bubbles and possibly an increase in volume after 24 hours; there may also be a slightly tangy and sour smell. When you notice these things
- add 1 tablespoon white teff flour and 1 tablespoon water to the batter and whisk well. Check in a few hours to see if bubbles have again formed
- mixture has increased in volume
- and the pungent smell is still evident; if so
- the batter is ready and you can skip to the cooking process (step 5).
- Leave batter to rest another 12 hours if the mixture has not begun to form or smell sour after the first 24 hours; stir once during this time. Check to see if bubbles have formed
- mixture has increased in volume
- and a pungent smell is evident; if so
- proceed with step 4.
- Mix together 2 tablespoons white teff flour and 2 tablespoons water in a bowl
- making sure there are no lumps. Add mixture to the batter
- whisking well. Wait a few hours; batter should be bubbly with a noticeable increase in volume and a pungent but fragrant smell
- indicating it is ready to be cooked.
- Heat an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Pour a scant 1/2 cup batter slowly and steadily into the hot pan in a circular motion from outside to inside. Cover the pan completely in a spiral without swirling. Cover
- reduce heat to medium-low
- and cook
- allowing steam to cook the top of the bread
- 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan with spatula and transfer to a plate; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 1 min
Total Time: 1 day
Servings: 2