Injera (All Teff)

Traditional Ethiopian injera from teff flour and water alone, fermented wild for a week, thickened with a boiled-starch absit, and cooked on one side only under a lid until its top is full of “eyes.”

Untested: not yet made in this kitchen. It is here for the Flatbreads section and is adapted from the source named in the Notes.

Ingredients

• 750 g (6½ cups) teff flour
• 1.65 L (7 cups) bottled water, plus more as needed
• Vegetable oil, for the pan

Directions

1. Day 1 — sponge. Sift 250 g (a generous 2 cups) teff. Work in 250 ml (1 cup) water by hand for about 5 minutes, to a very moist, lump-free dough. Pour 125 ml (½ cup) water over to cover it. Cover tightly and leave at room temperature 4 days.
2. Day 4 — batter. Pour off the watery top layer. Take 250 ml (1 cup) of the sponge (the rest keeps in the fridge for a later batch). Mix in the remaining 500 g teff and 125 ml (½ cup) water. When it smells pleasantly sour, add a generous 375 ml (1½ cups) water gradually until smooth. Pour about 400 ml (1⅔ cups) water on top without stirring. Cover tightly and leave 3 more days.
3. Day 7 — absit. Bubbles and sourness are good; scoop off any mould. Pour off the water layer; what is left is the base batter. Bring 250 ml (1 cup) water to a boil and whisk in 125 ml (½ cup) of the base batter and 125 ml (½ cup) water. When it thickens and bubbles, like thin oatmeal, take it off the heat, cool to just warm, and stir it back into the batter. The batter should sit between crêpe and pancake batter; thin with water if needed. Cover with a towel about 2 hours, until bubbles form.
4. Cook. Wipe a nonstick crêpe pan, skillet or mitad with an oiled paper towel and heat over medium-high. Pour the batter from a spouted cup in one continuous spiral from the outer edge inward — about ¾ cup (175 ml) for an 11-inch pan. Cook undisturbed until about three-quarters of the surface changes colour, 45 seconds to 1½ minutes. Cover with a lid until the edges curl, the top is dry and it releases, 30 seconds to 1½ minutes. Never flip. Turn the heat to medium-low after the first few.
5. Rest. Cool each at least 5 minutes before stacking; let the stack rest at least 30 minutes before serving.

Notes

Source Adapted from Yohanis Gebreyesus, “Injera,” via Epicurious.

A correction to the source For an 11-inch pan the source prints “about ¼ cup/175 ml.” Those disagree; 175 ml is about ¾ cup, which fits the pan, so this recipe uses ¾ cup.

Why the boiled absit Teff has no gluten. Boiling part of the batter makes a thick starch gel that gives the batter body to hold gas, and starts a short second fermentation that forms the eyes. Without it, injera comes out powdery.

Quicker versions Tigist Reda (Food & Wine) makes a 3-day starter boosted with a teaspoon of yeast. Saveur’s one-day version ferments teff and water for 24 hours and adds baking powder instead of more days.

Keeping About 2 days, loosely covered.

The Flatbreads section of the Breads pages on the Food site covers the history, the science and the griddles.