How do you make injera bread?

My cousin Angela asked: "How do they make that wonderful, stretchy, sour-dough-tasting injera bread?"


For those who aren't aware, Injera is a traditional flatbread that is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Traditionally, injera is used to line a large tray on which the stews are served: tiny bits of injera are torn and used to scoop up bits of stew and eaten - only with your right hand of course. In essence, injera is a food, napkin and tablecloth all in one.

Injera is made from tef (Eragrostis tef), a small grain that grows in the highlands of Ethiopia. Tef is quite nutritious, being high in fiber, iron, a good source of protein as well as calcium and contains almost no gluten. In areas where tef is not readily available, it can be partially substituted for wheat, barley, corn or even rice.


Now, onto the process...the tef is mixed with water and allowed to ferment for several days, this gives it a mildly sour taste - similar to starting a sourdough bread. That is pretty much it, it is read to bake into large flat loaves, traditionally on a clay plate over a burning fire but the modern method utilizes a specialize electric injera baker. As 


 Now, assuming you don't want to have an injera baker imported, here is a more western approach...


You need:

• 1 cup tef flour
• 1 cup water
• pinch of salt
• vegetable oil

Instructions

• In a mixing bowl, slowly add water to the tef and stir to avoid lumps
• Add the salt
• Heat a non-stick pan (or oiled cast-iron skillet), coat with a thin layer of butter if you prefer.
• Pour the batter into the pan much like a pancake, though the injera should be thinner than a pancake and thicker than a crepe
• Cook until bubbles appear on the top of the injera and remove to cool

It may take some practice, but there is a quick and easy injera recipe!

Bon appetite cuz!

My first Ethiopian meal!