Well, I’ve finally done it! After three years of experimentation, I’ve come up with a foolproof Ethiopian injera recipe that is quick and easy. Granted, it does not have the complex, sourdough flavor of the long-fermented injera that takes days to prepare. But it is so close to it most people, even those who are Ethiopian aficionados, can not tell the difference. For those of you who are purists, I’ll have the longer, version in my book slated to be published late this summer. In fact, I’ll have several methods of preparing injera with varying degrees of difficulty and varying concentrations of whole grains. I will also have two gluten-free versions, so there is something for everybody. If you are craving Ethiopian food and have some sourdough starter on hand, this is a bread you can create from start to finish in as little as 40 minutes.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup teff flour, 160 grams
1 3/4 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour, 230 grams
1 cup sourdough starter 250g
4 cups water (945g)
1 tbsp baking powder, 12g
1 tbsp organic corn starch, 12g

METHOD: 5 minutes to make batter, 1-2 min each for injera (14 minutes for 7) About 20 minutes total

Teff, a vital ingredient in good Ethiopian injera, is a very nutritious grain from Africa and is possibly is the tiniest individual grain in the world. Injera is an Ethiopian flatbread with a consistency somewhere between a crepe and a pancake. It is spongy and flexible with a sour flavor which perfectly compliments the savory and spicy Ethiopian stews that are served on it. The injera not only is your plate in an Ethiopian meal but also serves as the eating utensil. You just tear off a piece and fold it over a mound of stew on your plate, pinch off a bite and pop it into your mouth. When you are finished with the stews, you eat the plate which has become saturated with the delicious juices of the stews!

I am told by every Ethiopian chef I’ve met that it is virtually impossible to make Injera using 100% teff in the United States. No one seems to know the reason but it is assumed that it has something to do with climate and humidity. This is my version, which is quite comparable to the best of the Injera I’ve eaten in Ethiopian restaurants.

In a blender add 4 cups water and 1 cup teff flour. Blend on slow initially just to combine ingredients. Use a rubber spatula if necessary to scrape the dough from the sides of the blender. Test the teff by rubbing a bit of wet dough between your fingers. In the beginning, it feels grainy like a fine, wet sand. Turn blender up gradually until on high speed. Blend for one to two minutes. You can tell when the teff is ready when it is no longer very grainy. It will never be perfectly smooth but will be much less grainy than in the beginning.

Add all-purpose flour. Blend on low to combine. Turn off blender and scrape sides. Resume blending on high only long enough to remove lumps, 15 to 30 seconds. Do not over-blend. Add sourdough starter and blend to combine. While the blender is still running, add baking powder and cornstarch. Gradually increase speed to high and blend for 30 seconds.

Allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Heat a non-stick skillet with a lid on high heat. It is ready when a drop of water on the surface of the skillet sizzles and burns off quickly.

Pour 1/2 to 3/4 cup batter into the hot pan and tilt the pan on all sides unit the batter spreads evenly across the bottom of the pan. The amount of batter you use depends upon the size of your pan. I use a 12″ flat-bottom skillet with straight sides with a lid.

Cook on high heat for 15 seconds or until holes form on the top of the pancakes and the batter begins to firm. Cover and continue cooking until the edges of the pancake begin to lift from the sides of the pan and begin to curl. Depending on the heat of your stove, the entire process should take 1 1/2 to 3 minutes. As moisture accumulates on the inside of the lid, wipe it off with a paper towel so the moisture does not drop onto the injera and cause gummy spots. The pancake should be filled with little holes the Ethiopians call “eyes”. The injera should also easily slide in the pan when shaken.

Slide onto a clean cloth on a countertop or table. I like to use flour sack towels. While the injera is cooling begin another in exactly the same manner. When the injera has cooled completely, you may stack them on top of each other. The injera must be completely cooled, not room temperature but rather cool to the touch, before they are stacked. Otherwise they will stick together and become unusable.

Note- if for some reason you have accidentally folded and edge of the injera over itself while transferring to the cloth to cool (It happens to the best of us.), allow it to cool slightly before attempting to straighten the injera. If you do it while still hot, you will make a gummy spot on the injera. If you let it cool a little, it will lay flat when you pull on it with little or no harm to the bread.

This recipe should make eight to ten 12-inch injeras, depending on how thick you make them. One should be used as a the plate for Ethiopian stews. The rest should be rolled up like cigars and served on the side. These will be used to eat the stews by pinching the stews between pieces of injera. Then just pop it into your mouth! No utensils, no problem!

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