Injera, a staple food in Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine, is a unique flatbread with a slightly spongy texture and a subtle sour flavor. Typically made with teff flour, a gluten-free grain native to Ethiopia, injera serves as the foundation for various stews, vegetables, and meat dishes. Its preparation involves a fermentation process that contributes to its distinct sour tang. This article presents a diverse collection of recipes to guide you in making this traditional flatbread at home, catering to different dietary preferences and skill levels. Dive into the secrets of crafting authentic injera with our classic teff flour recipe, explore gluten-free alternatives using alternative flours, and discover creative variations like the multigrain injera that incorporates the goodness of different grains. We also unveil the secrets of making a delicious injera using a sourdough starter for a naturally fermented flavor. Unleash your culinary skills and embark on a journey into the rich flavors of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine with our comprehensive injera recipes.
Here are our top 6 tried and tested recipes!
INJERA (ETHIOPIAN SOUR FLATBREAD)
Steps:
- Repeat until all of the batter is used, spraying the pan with cooking spray as necessary.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 348 kcal, Carbohydrate 71 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Fiber 5 g, Protein 11 g, SaturatedFat 0 g, Sodium 191 mg, Sugar 1 g, Fat 2 g, ServingSize 4-6 servings, UnsaturatedFat 0 g
INJERA (ETHIOPIAN TEFF BREAD)
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.
Provided by Buckwheat Queen
Categories Bread Yeast Bread Recipes Flat Bread Recipes
Time P1DT6m
Yield 2
Number Of Ingredients 6
Steps:
- 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.
Nutrition Facts : Calories 225.3 calories, Carbohydrate 41.1 g, Fat 3.8 g, Fiber 7.7 g, Protein 6.9 g, SaturatedFat 0.4 g, Sodium 13.9 mg
INJERA
Injera is a sourdough-risen and spongy flatbread that is a staple in Ethiopia. It relies on flour made from teff, which is part of the lovegrass family, and produces seeds as tiny as poppy seeds. It is nutrient-dense and gluten-free. Injera is served with stews, both meat-based and vegetarian; a torn-off piece of the flatbread is used to pick up the accompaniments.
Provided by Food Network Kitchen
Time P2DT2h
Yield Sixteen 10-inch rounds of injera
Number Of Ingredients 4
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.
ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD (INJERA)
Not an authentic recipe as it misses out the Teff flour. I made this version as I cannot find Teff anywhere!
Provided by PinkCherryBlossom
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 1h40m
Yield 15-20 serving(s)
Number Of Ingredients 5
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.
ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD (INJERA)
This is an American adaption for Ethiopian Flat bread from "Extending the Table". I found this easy to make though it took a little time. Well worth it for the fun of an African finger-food meal... and tasty too! For more authentic Injera, add 1/2 c. teff flour and reduce whole wheat flour to 1/4 c. (NOTE: Use multiple frying pans to quicken the cooking task)
Provided by luvinlif2k
Categories Yeast Breads
Time 1h50m
Yield 20 12inch Injera
Number Of Ingredients 5
Steps:
- Mix all ingredients in a large bowl.
- Cover and let set an hour or longer until batter rises and becomes stretchy.
- The batter can sit for as long as 3-6 hours if you need it to.
- When you are ready, stir batter if liquid has settled on the bottom.
- In blender, whip 2 c.
- of batter at a time, thinning it with 1/2-3/4 c.
- water.
- Batter will be quite thin.
- Heat a 10-inch or 12-inch non-stick frying pan over medium to medium-high heat.
- Pour batter into heated pan (1/2 c. if using a 12-inch pan; 1/3 c. if using a 10-inch pan) and quickly swirl pan to spread batter as thin as possible.
- Batter should be no thicker than 1/8 inch.
- Do NOT turn.
- Injera is cooked through when bubbles appear all over the top.
- Lay each Injera on a towel for a minute or two then stack in a covered dish to keep warm.
- (VERY important to rest on towel before stacking!) For those not familiar with Injera, serve it as the"utensil" when serving thick stews.
- Use pieces of injera to scoop or pick up bites of stew-- no double-dipping-- eat your"utensil" each time.
INJERA
Traditional injera takes a week to make, since you need four days to make the sponge, plus another three to prepare the batter.
Provided by Yohanis Gebreyesus
Yield Makes 7 to 9 medium or 5 large injera
Number Of Ingredients 3
Steps:
- Begin by making a sponge or yeast starter: In a large non-reactive bowl or plastic jug with a lid, sift a generous 2 cups (9 oz/250 g) of the flour and, using your hands, begin slowly working in about 1 cup (250 ml) of water until you have a very moist, squishy dough without any lumps-it should take about 5 minutes. Pour over½ cup (125 ml) water so that the mixture is entirely submerged, then tightly cover and let it rest for four days at room temperature.
- The mixture will have separated into two layers: a thick, yeasty sponge on the bottom and a watery layer on the top. Carefully pour off and discard the watery top layer so that only the sponge underneath remains. You will need only a portion of this sponge to progress. You can use the leftover sponge to make successive batches of injera; it will keep, covered in the refrigerator, for several days.
- In a large non-reactive bowl, measure out 1 cup (250 ml) of the sponge. Using your hands, mix in the remaining 41/s cups (1 lb 2 oz/500 g) of flour and½ cup (125 ml) of water. When you start smelling a pleasantly sour aroma, gradually add a generous 1 ½ cups (375 ml) of water. Once the mixture is smooth, with no lumps, pour about 1 % cups (400 ml) of water on top; do not stir in this layer of water. Cover tightly and let the mixture rest for three days at room temperature.
- After three days, remove the lid and take a look. The batter may bubble and smell sour-these are good signs. However, if you see any bits of mold develop on the surface, scoop out and discard. Pour off and discard the watery liquid layer on top and reserve what is left: this is the base batter.
- Make the absit. In a large saucepan, bring 1 cup (250 ml) of water to a boil. Whisk in ½ cup (125 ml) of the base batter and½ cup (125 ml) of water. When this mixture begins to thicken and bubble, remove it from the heat. It should have the consistency of thin cooked oatmeal. Let it cool to just warm. This mixture is called absit.
- Mix the absit into the bowl with the base batter to create a final batter. The mixture should have a consistency mid-way between a crepe and pancake batter. If it is too thick, stir in a little additional room-temperature water. Cover the bowl with a dish towel and let it rest for about 2 hours, until bubbles have begun to form on the surface. The bubbles are the sign that the final fermentation has occurred and that the injera batter is ready to be cooked.
- To cook the injera, use a non-stick crepe pan or skillet, or large, traditional mitad. Moisten a paper towel with oil and wipe the surface, then place the pan over medium-high heat.
- When the pan is hot, use a spouted measuring cup to scoop ½-1 cup (125-250 ml) of the batter, depending on the size of the pan (a standard 11 inch/28 cm crepe pan will take about¼ cup/175 ml of batter). For a large mitad, use about twice as much batter. Work quickly and carefully in order to pour the batter evenly around the pan. Starting at the outside edge of the cooking surface-going clockwise if you are right-handed or counterclockwise if you are left-handed-pour the batter in a thin stream and in one continuous motion in a spiral formation, without overlapping, until you end at the very center. There might be some batter left over in the scoop. While not traditional, if using a crepe pan, swirl the pan if needed to evenly distribute the batter.
- Cook undisturbed until bubbles have begun to form on the surface of the injera and the batter begins to set. When about 75 percent of the surface batter has changed color, 45 seconds-11/2 minutes, cover the pan with a large lid. (A glass lid is helpful here as it allows you to check the doneness of the injera without uncovering.) Cook until the edges of the injera begin to curl, the top is quite dry, and the injera has released from the bottom of the pan, from 30 seconds-l 1/2 minutes (it might be longer with a larger mitad). Do not flip the injera.
- When cooked, use a long thin spatula and a thin plate or piece of cardboard to transfer the injera to a flat basket or a large plate lined with parchment paper without breaking.
- Remove any stray dough from the cooking surface, and then apply more oil as necessary and reheat. (After the first few injera, lower the heat to medium-low.) Continue making them in the same way, layering each injera on top of the last on the basket or plate as they are finished. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before placing another on top, and allow all to rest for at least 30 minutes before serving. Cover any leftovers loosely with plastic wrap and they will keep for about 2 days.
Tips:
- Choose the right pan: A traditional injera pan, also known as a mitad, is made of cast iron or clay. If you don't have one, you can use a large skillet or griddle.
- Heat the pan evenly: Preheat the pan over medium heat until it is hot but not smoking. This will help to prevent the injera from sticking.
- Use the right amount of batter: The amount of batter you use will depend on the size of your pan. A good rule of thumb is to use about 1/4 cup of batter for a 10-inch pan.
- Pour the batter in a circular motion: When you pour the batter into the pan, start in the center and work your way out in a circular motion. This will help to create a thin, even layer of batter.
- Cook the injera until it is bubbly: Cook the injera for about 2-3 minutes per side, or until it is bubbly and the edges are slightly browned.
- Serve the injera immediately: Injera is best served warm. You can serve it with a variety of stews, sauces, and vegetables.
Conclusion:
Injera is a delicious and versatile bread that can be enjoyed with a variety of dishes. With the right pan and a little practice, you can easily make injera at home. So next time you're looking for a new bread recipe to try, give injera a try!
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