Best Injera Recipes

INJERA (ETHIOPIAN TEFF BREAD)

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.

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.

AUTHENTIC INJERA (AKA ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix ground teff with the water and let stand in a bowl covered with a dish towel at room temperature until it bubbles and has turned sour; This may take as long as 3 days, although I had success with an overnight fermentation; The fermenting mixture should be the consistency of a very thin pancake batter.
• Stir in the salt, a little at a time, until you can barely detect its taste.
• Lightly oil an 8 or 9 inch skillet (or a larger one if you like); Heat over medium heat.
• Pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the skillet; About 1/4 cup will make a thin pancake covering the surface of an 8 inch skillet if you spread the batter around immediately by turning and rotating the skillet in the air; This is the classic French method for very thin crepes; Injera is not supposed to be paper thin so you should use a bit more batter than you would for crepes, but less than you would for a flapjack pancakes.
• Cook briefly, until holes form in the injera and the edges lift from the pan; Do not let it brown, and don't flip it over as it is only supposed to be cooked on one side.
• Remove and let cool. Place plastic wrap or foil between successive pieces so they don't stick together.
• To serve, lay one injera on a plate and ladle your chosen dishes on top (e.g., a lovely doro wat or alicha). Serve additional injera on the side. Guests can be instructed to eat their meal without utensils, instead using the injera to scoop up their food.

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

Steps:

• Dissolve yeast and honey in 1/4 cup of the water. Allow to proof and add the remainder of the water and the millet flour. Stir until smooth and then cover. Allow to stand at room temperature for 24 hours.
• Stir the batter well and mix in the baking soda.
• Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan in a spiral pattern to cover the bottom of the pan evenly. Tilt the pan to quickly even out the batter. Cover the pan and allow to cook for about 1 minute. The bread should not brown but rather rise slightly and very easy to remove. It is cooked only on one side. This top should be slightly moist. Remove to a platter and cool. Stack the cooked breads on a plate.

INJERA (AFRICAN [ ETHIOPIAN] FLAT BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix the flour with the water; you want to have a somewhat liquid consistency.
• Heat a large non-stick frying pan. The secret of making injera is that the pan be very hot.
• Pour a thin layer (think crepe thinness) of mixture on the pan; cook until the bottom is light brown and the top becomes sponge like.
• You CAN turn it and cook the other side to crispness and brownness but traditionally the top side is supposed to be spongy -- let the bottom cook but don't turn it.

INJERA (ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD)

Steps:

• Stir together the whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
• Combine the eggs, buttermilk, and the 1 tbsp cooking oil; add all at once to the flour mixture, stirring until smooth.
• Pour 2 tbsp of the batter into a hot, lightly greased 6 inch heavy skillet over medium heat; lift and quickly rotate the pan so that the batter covers the bottom of the skillet. Return the skillet to medium heat. Cook about 1 minute or till light brown on the bottom.
• Invert the bread onto paper toweling. (If necessary, loosen the bread with a small spatula.).
• Repeat with the remaining batter. Roll up jelly-roll style and serve warm.

TEFF AND BARLEY INJERA (ETHIOPIAN FLAT-THIN BREAD)

Steps:

• Starter - mix the yeast with one cup of warm water; keep until rises; or use sourdough starter.
• Combine in a large container the teff and barley flour with cold water or mix lightly in a blender.
• Add the starter and mix it well; add water generously; cover it tight; keep it outside to ferment;
• The second day, pour and discard the water; add same amount of fresh water to the dough; keep it tight.
• The third day, pour and discard the water; blend the self-rising flour with three cups of cold water; mix it with the fermented dough; add water as required. This time it should be thinner than pancake dough. Keep it outside for 15 minutes to rise.
• Warm a flat pancake pan, or skillet, or a specialized electric stove; pour the dough in circle shape in small amount; bake it for 30 -45 seconds.
• Depending on the size of skillet, you will get 20 to 30 injeras.
• If less sour taste preferred, bake it the second day.
• You may find teff flour in health store.

INJERA (FERMENTED SOURDOUGH BREAD)

Steps:

• Combine the teff flour and 12 cups water. Mix, cover and store in a dark, cool place for 3 to 4 days to ferment, giving it its sour flavor.
• On the last day of fermentation, mix the teff flour mixture with the barley and wheat flours. Let rest for another 8 hours.
• Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. Pour 1 cup fermented mixture into it, swirling the pan to cover the entire surface area. Cover with a lid, 2 to 3 minutes. Injera is ready to plate when holes have formed on the surface.

ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD (INJERA)

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 (FERMENTED SOURDOUGH BREAD)

Steps:

• Combine the teff flour and 12 cups water. Mix, cover and store in a dark, cool place for 3 to 4 days to ferment, giving it its sour flavor. On the last day of fermentation, mix the teff flour mixture with the barley and wheat flours. Let rest for another 8 hours. Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat. Pour 1 cup fermented mixture into it, swirling the pan to cover the entire surface area. Cover with a lid, 2 to 3 minutes. Injera is ready to plate when holes have formed on the surface.

INJERA BREAD

Steps:

• Combine all-purpose and teff flours in a bowl. Add salt and mix well. Gradually add water, stirring slowly with a wooden spoon until incorporated.
• Cover bowl with a clean dish towel and leave to ferment at room temperature, 4 to 5 days. Gently agitate the mixture every morning; mixture will appear bubbly and smell sour as it ferments.
• Cook the injera on the 4th or 5th day. Mix batter until smooth. Lightly oil a large pan over medium heat. Add a scoop of batter in a spiral motion, working from the outside to the inside of the pan. Cover and cook until bubbles appear on the surface and steam rises off the top, about 30 seconds.
• Transfer injera to a platter and repeat with remaining batter, adding oil to the pan as needed.

INJERA (ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD)

Steps:

• 1. Combine the flours and yeast in a ceramic or glass bowl. Add the warm water and mix into a fairly thin, smooth batter.
• 2. Let the mixture sit for three full days at room temperature. Stir the mixture once a day. It will bubble and rise.
• 3. When you are ready to make the injera, add the baking soda and salt and let the batter sit for 10 to 15 minutes.
• 4. Heat a small, nonstick 9-inch skillet. When a drop of water bounces on the pan's surface, take about 1/3 cup of the batter and pour it in the skillet quickly, all at once. Swirl the pan so that the entire bottom is evenly coated, then return to the heat.
• 5. The injera is cooked on only one side and the bottom should not brown. When the moisture has evaporated and lots of "eyes" appear on the surface, remove the injera. Let each injera cool and then stack them as you go along.
• 6. If the first injera is undercooked, try using less of the mixture, perhaps 1/4 cup, and maybe cook it just a bit longer. Be sure not to overcook it. Injera should be soft and pliable so that it can be rolled or folded, like a crepe.

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 -- .

ETHIOPIAN INJERA (FLATBREAD)

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, and salt. Add eggs and club soda and whisk until batter is smooth. It should have the consistency of pancake batter; add more club soda if needed. 2. Spray a 10-inch nonstick frying pan lightly with cooking oil spray and set over medium heat. When hot, pour 1/3 cup batter into the pan, tilting to coat most of the bottom. Cook until flatbread appears bubbly and dry on top, 2 to 3 minutes; do not turn. 3. Slide bread onto a serving platter. Cover with a kitchen towel and keep warm in a 200° oven while you cook remaining breads. 4. Place one injera flat on each of six dinner plates and top with stew. Serve with remaining injera to scoop up the food. Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving. Ethiopian cooking 101: Berbere: This heady spice mixture is the basis for all Ethiopian cooking. It can feature clove, cayenne, ginger, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon, among other spices. Ground fenugreek seeds, which add a mildly sweet flavor, are also typical. Buy them at Middle Eastern markets or from Penzeys Spices ($1.09 per 1/4-cup jar; www.penzeys.com). Injera: Authentic injera is made from fermented teff, a grain common in Ethiopia. The bread's spongy, bubbly texture is similar to that of a pancake. If authenticity is your aim, you can buy teff flour from Abyssinian Market ($25 for 5 lb.; www.abyssinianmarket.com). Tej: This Ethiopian honey wine is the traditional match for spicy stews, but few retailers in the United States carry authentic imported tej. You can buy a bottle at many Ethiopian restaurants, but an accessible alternative is off-dry Riesling, which pairs beautifully with the spicy beef stew. Our favorite: Spätlese Rieslings from Germany's Mosel region.

INJERA BREAD

Steps:

• Combine the dry ingredients and then add the water. Mix to a smooth, thin batter. Heat a large nonstick skillet. Ladle enough batter to cover the bottom of the skillet, tilting the skillet to cover the base evenly, and then set back on heat. When small holes appear on the surface remove the injera bread. Cook only on 1 side. Repeat with remaining batter.

INJERA WITH TIBS

Steps:

• For the injera: Whisk together the teff flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Whisk in the club soda, yogurt and clarified butter to make a smooth, thin batter. Let sit at least 4 hours and up to overnight, then strain through a sieve or strainer to remove any lumps.
• Grease a large skillet with the clarified butter and heat over medium-high heat. Pour 1/2 cup of batter into the pan in a spiral, starting at the center, and cook for 20 seconds. Put a lid on the pan and cook for an additional 30 seconds. Transfer to a plate and cover with a cloth to keep warm while you cook the remaining injera.
• For the tibs: Heat the oil and Spiced Butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the meat with salt. Add the garlic and ginger to the pan and saute for 1 minute. Add the berbere, cumin and rosemary and stir to combine. Increase the heat to high, add the beef and jalapenos and toss to combine, about 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, vinegar, tomatoes, cilantro and mustard and cook until the outside of the beef is no longer red, about 2 minutes.
• Serve the tibs on injera and garnish with Ayib (fresh cheese).
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, stirring occasionally. As foam rises to the top, skim and discard it. Continue cooking, without letting the butter brown, until no more foam appears. Add the garlic, onions, ginger, cardamom, cumin, fenugreek, oregano, turmeric and thyme and continue cooking for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from the heat and let stand until the spices settle. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve before using. (Store in the refrigerator in a tightly covered container for up to 3 weeks.)
• Line a colander or a fine mesh sieve with a layer of cheesecloth.
• Bring the milk and lemon juice to a slight simmer in a large pot over low heat. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until curds begin to form, about 15 minutes. Spoon the curdled milk into the sieve and gently rinse under cold running water until the water runs clear. Place the sieve in a bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Allow to drain, refrigerated, for up to 4 hours.
• Discard the liquid, pour the curds into a bowl and season with salt. Store refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

RICE AND SORGHUM INJERA

Steps:

• Starter - mix the yeast with one glass of warm water and wait until rises or use sourdough starter.
• In a large container mix Rice and Sorghum flour with water; or beat it lightly in a blender;
• Add the starter and mix it well. Add water generously and cover it tight. Keep it outside to ferment (the dough needs only 14-16 hours to ferment).
• The second day pour the fermented water in container and set aside.
• Blend the self-raising with four cups of the fermented water and mix it with the dough. This time it should be thinner than pancake dough; keep it outside to rise for 30 minutes.
• Warm a flat pancake pan, or skillet, or a specialized electric stove and pour the dough in circle shape, each Injera bakes within 20 second even less.
• P.S. Rice and sorghum dough ferment faster than Teff . Therefore, if not baked within a day, keep the dough in the fridge.

INJERA

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.

INJERA

Steps:

• Combin all ingredients with just enoough water for an easy pouring consistency.
• Bring a 10-inch skillet or a handled griddle pan to medium heat uniformly over the flame. Do not let the pan get too hot.
• Spray skillet with cooking spray.
• Fill a measuring cup (with spout) or a large cream pitcher with batter.
• Pour the mixture on the hot pan or griddle in a thin stream starting from the outside and going in circles to the center from left to right. As soon as it bubbles uniformly all over remove from heat. Pancakes should be 9 inches in diameter.
• Place the pan in an oven at 325 for about 1 minute until the top is dry but not brown.
• Arrange the five pancakes overlapping each other so as to completely cover a fifteen-inch tray, thus forming the Injera "tablecloth.".