Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread)
Serves: 4
Irwin Berge
1 January 1970
Based on User reviews:
47
Spice
47
Sweetness
61
Sourness
48
mins
Prep time (avg)
4.9
Difficulty
Ingredients:
Directions:
1
Combine the teff flour and active dry yeast in a large bowl
2
Add 2 cups lukewarm water and whisk or, more traditionally, use your hand to mix everything together, making sure the mixture is absolutely smooth with no lumps
3
Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the mixture is bubbly and tastes sour like tangy yogurt, 36 to 48 hours
4
(It will start bubbling and rising in a matter of hours, but it can take anywhere from 36 to 48 hours to achieve a noticeable level of sourness, which is key to the flavor of the injera; see Cook's Note
5
) After about 36 hours, begin tasting the mixture; this will help you determine when it's just right and will help prevent it from souring too much
6
At this point, the batter will look separated and watery on top
7
If you shake the bowl a little, you should see some bubbles rising to the top
8
Add the self-rising flour and up to 1 cup of water a little at a time
9
Whisk or use your hand to thoroughly combine into a smooth, thin, pourable mixture with about the consistency of a slightly thicker crepe batter
10
Cover again and let sit for 1 hour
11
Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes
12
Have a lid for the skillet and a wire baking rack nearby
13
Whisk 1 teaspoon salt into the batter (it will bubble up)
14
Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, tilting and swirling to coat with a thin layer of batter
15
The batter should spread quickly and easily
16
(If it's too thick, whisk in a little more water
17
) Within a matter of seconds, you should start seeing small holes forming and the surface darkening as it cooks from the outside towards the center
18
When the injera is about 3/4 of the way cooked, cover the skillet and let steam for 1 minute
19
The injera is cooked when the edges are dry and lifting up from the pan
20
Carefully run a spatula underneath and transfer to the baking rack to cool completely
21
Repeat with the remaining batter
22
You can stack the injera only when they are completely cooled; otherwise, they will stick to each other
23
Wrap the stack of cooled injera with a dry, clean cloth or paper towels to keep them from drying out until ready to serve
24
Serve at room temperature, or microwave for 30 seconds to heat through