Ethiopian Injera Flatbread Recipes

INJERA (ETHIOPIAN SOUR FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Repeat until all of the batter is used, spraying the pan with cooking spray as necessary.

QUICK INJERA

Steps:

• In a large mixing bowl, combine teff flour, all purpose flour, instant yeast, salt and baking soda. Mix well. Stir in apple cider vinegar and warm water. Whisk vigorously into a smooth batter without lumps. Cover and set aside for 1 hour in a warm spot.
• Preheat a 9" non-stick or cast-iron skillet on high heat for 5 minutes. Lightly spray the skillet with cooking spray. Pour ¼ cup of the batter on the outside of the hot pan and work in a spiral toward the center. Tilt the pan to fill in any holes. Immediately cover the pan with a loose-fitting lid and let the injera cook for 2~3 minutes.
• Injera is done when the top is no longer shiny or wet and feels firm to touch. Transfer the cooked injera to a plate and cover immediately with a kitchen towel or a plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining batter.Stack the injera on top of each other. Keep them covered to keep them moist and soft.

INJERA RECIPE - ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD

Steps:

• Place the teff flour, rice flour, yeast, sugar and water in a large ceramic bowl and mix thoroughly.
• Cover with a kitchen paper and leave somewhere warm to sit for 2 hours, to rise.If you don't have anywhere that's not cold (if it's winter), turn your oven light on, and place the starter in there. BUT DO NOT TURN THE OVEN ON.I place mine in the airing cupboard, in winter time.
• Place the teff and rice flours in a large bowl.
• Add 70g (½ cup) of the starter.
• Gradually add 250ml (1 cup) of the water, mixing with a wooden spoon. Add more water, a little at a time, until you have a very thick batter that resists the spoon.
• Let the batter now sit for 2-3 days, covered with a kitchen paper or loosely covered with a lid, on your kitchen counter. This is the point where the batter will ferment, and at the end of it, you'll get a sour smell, much like sourdough.If you live in a warm climate, 2 days will do, otherwise, you might want to go for the whole 3 days. Some of my readers have had to go 4 days. So many factors affect this.What you are looking for is when you can see a clear fluid layer and the batter is beginning to release bubbles.In the summer, I start checking after 1 day. And the same goes if I'm keeping the batter somewhere warm like the airing cupboard.
• When you've reached the right stage, as described above, pour off the liquid at the top.
• In a small saucepan over high heat, boil 250ml water (1 cup). Add 80 ml (⅓ cup - use a proper measuring cup) of the injera batter to the boiling water, stirring continuously. Keep stirring until you get a thick porridge like batter. This is called absit.
• Take the saucepan off the heat and transfer the absit to a bowl and leave to cool to almost room temperature. This will take about an hour.
• When the absit has cooled, we are going to use a blender to mix everything up to give us a smooth batter. This is the Ethiopian way.In 2-3 batches, place some of the earlier Injera batter and some of the absit in your blender and blend to create a smooth batter.Place back into the original fermentation container that you used and leave to sit, covered loosely for another 1-2 hours, until there are plenty of bubbles in the batter. If you want this process to be fast, find a warm place. Otherwise, it may take a good 6 hours before you see those bubbles, which are crucial.
• When the batter is bubbly, using a wooden spoon, stir in 250ml (1 cup) of lukewarm water and 1 tsp salt. Mix well.You are going for a pancake batter consistency. If you dip your fingers in the batter, it should all just run off, leaving a thin coat on your fingers, much like warm custard.
• Ethiopians cook their Injera on a non stick electric griddle. If you have that, use it, if not, a large non stick flat griddle or frying pan will do. An Indian tawa will be perfect for this, if you have it.We're going to go ahead with a non stick pan on the stove. Heat the pan over medium-high heat.
• Transfer your injera batter to a jug. When your pan has heated up, starting from the outside of the pan, pour your batter from a height of about 6 inches, in a circular motion, completely covering the pan.If you need to tilt the pan to cover all of it, do it quickly, as the batter will crisp up fast. But it's preferable not to tilt the pan. It may take you a couple of attempts to get the hang of it.
• At about 30 seconds, you'll start to see air pockets or holes on the surface.. Now, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 1-2 minutes until the edge of the injera is curling up. The sizzling sound will also have subsided quite a bit at this stage.If your batter was on the thinner side, your injera ought to be done at 1 minute. So 1 or 2 minutes (or even 3) will depend on how thick your injera is.
• Using a large, wide spatula, lift the side of the injera and slide onto a plate.Turn the heat off and time to check on our first injera, and adjust the batter, if necessary.If your injera is too soft, sticky or even worse, became a lump on the pan:pour a little of your batter into a blender and add 40 g (¼ cup) rice flour. Blend to a smooth paste, and stir this into the rest of the batter to mix thoroughly.If your injera is too thick or dry:stir in a little water, maybe about 2-4 Tbsp, to get a slightly thinner batter.
• Continue cooking the rest of the injera and stack them on top of each other on the plate.You could reserve ½ cup batter to use as your starter, and store in the fridge for up to 1 week, for your next injera.
• Leave the cooked injera to cool to room temperature, then cover with clingfilm and leave to sit for an hour before serving.The longer you leave the injera, the softer and tastier it will be. A day is perfect, making it a great recipe for when you have guests, as it can be done the day before.The injera can be frozen for up to 3 months (see article above).
• In a large bowl, mix the yeast with a little bit of the warm water and stir to combine.
• Add whichever 2 flours you're using, along with the salt.
• Gradually, add more warm water, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth batter, this time the consistency of thick pancake batter. Again, you may not need all the water.
• Cover with cling film and let stand for 1 hour.
• After an hour, the batter would have increased slightly, give it a stir and pour the hot water, stirring constantly, until you get the thick crêpe batter we mentioned in the traditional method.
• Let stand for 20 minutes, then proceed to cook as above.

ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD (INJERA)

Steps:

• Mix everything together to form a batter.
• Let set in large bowl, covered, an hour or longer, until batter rises and becomes stretchy.
• It can sit as long as 3-6 hours.
• When ready, stir batter if liquid has settled on bottom.
• Then whip in blender, 2 cups of batter at a time, thinning it with 1/2 - 3/4 cup water.
• Batter will be quite thin.
• Cook in non-stick frypan WITHOUT OIL (is that a great instruction or what?) over medium or medium-high heat.
• Use 1/2 cup batter per injera for a 12-inch pan or 1/3 cup batter for a 10-inch pan.
• Pour batter in heated pan and quickly swirl pan to spread batter as thin as possible.
• Batter should be no thicker than 1/8-inch.
• Do not turn over.
• Injera does not easily stick or burn.
• It is cooked through when bubbles appear all over the top.
• Lay each injera on a clean towel for a minute or two, then stack in covered dish to keep warm.
• Finished injera will be thicker than a crepe, but thinner than a pancake.

INJERA RECIPE - ETHIOPIAN FLATBREAD

Steps:

• Sift flour into a large bowl.
• Gradually add the water, mixing gently with a wooden spoon. It should have the consistency of slightly thicker than usual crêpe batter. You may not need all the water.
• Cover with parchment paper and let the batter sit for 2-3 days on your kitchen counter. This is the point where the batter will ferment, and at the end of it, you'll get a sour smell, much like sourdough.
• Scoop out any liquid floating at the top, and any off color foam (like a little yellow). Add the salt and stir to combine.
• In a large bowl, mix the yeast with a little bit of the warm water and stir to combine.
• Add whichever 2 flours you're using, along with the salt.
• Gradually, add more warm water, stirring with a wooden spoon until you have a smooth batter with the consistency of thick pancake batter. You may not need all the water.
• Cover with plastic wrap and let it stand for 1 hour.
• After an hour, the batter will have increased slightly. Stir while pouring the hot water until you get a thick crêpe batter.
• Let stand for 20 minutes.
• Grease your griddle or large frying pan and bring to medium heat. Using a ladle, pour a thin layer of the batter. Tilt the frying pan to allow the batter to spread and coat the bottom of the pan..
• Cook until you see air pockets or holes appearing (about 30 seconds). Then cover the skillet and cook for another minute. There will be lots of steam and you'll see that the injera is beginning to curl along the edge.
• Slide the Injera onto a large plate (caution: using a spatula may tear it).

INJERA (ETHIOPIAN FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• Teff flour is available from a whole foods store or Northern African markets. Nancy's yogurt is best because of its tartness. You want not-sweet yogurt.
• Whisk (or stir together with your largest fork) the flours, salt & baking soda in a large bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the yogurt into the club soda, then stir this in the flour mix making a thin, smooth batter. Strain to make sure there a no lumps.
• Pam your largest skillet & heat over medium high heat. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the skillet starting in the center & spiraling out. Cook for 20 seconds. (The bread should have a gajillion tiny pinholes in it at this point.) Cover for 30 more seconds. Remove it to a warm platter & cover with a cloth to keep it warm while you cook the rest of the flat breads.
• Lay a piece of the flat bread on the hugest plate you have. In the center of it put a dipper of your finest, zestiest, most mouthwatering thick stew. Now, eat the stew, tearing off pieces of the bread from the sides & scooping up the stew. (Look Ma, no fork!) Need another piece of injera?! Sure you do! It could take 2 or 3 pieces to scoop up all that wonderful stew.
• Once you have gained confidence with this & know your mama isn't going to come make you use a fork, add 2 or 3 more dippers of food. Veggies. Green beans & carrots & maybe a wilted spinach salad. Of course, you'll need more injera to scoop all that up. But what the heck -- .

INJERA

Steps:

• Combine the teff flour and active dry yeast in a large bowl. 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. 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. (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.) 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.
• At this point, the batter will look separated and watery on top. If you shake the bowl a little, you should see some bubbles rising to the top. Add the self-rising flour and up to 1 cup of water a little at a time. Whisk or use your hand to thoroughly combine into a smooth, thin, pourable mixture with about the consistency of a slightly thicker crepe batter. Cover again and let sit for 1 hour.
• Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Have a lid for the skillet and a wire baking rack nearby. Whisk 1 teaspoon salt into the batter (it will bubble up). Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, tilting and swirling to coat with a thin layer of batter. The batter should spread quickly and easily. (If it's too thick, whisk in a little more water.) 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. When the injera is about 3/4 of the way cooked, cover the skillet and let steam for 1 minute. The injera is cooked when the edges are dry and lifting up from the pan. Carefully run a spatula underneath and transfer to the baking rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• You can stack the injera only when they are completely cooled; otherwise, they will stick to each other. Wrap the stack of cooled injera with a dry, clean cloth or paper towels to keep them from drying out until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature, or microwave for 30 seconds to heat through.