Alana's Injera Recipe

If you've ever had Ethiopian food, you know what injera is. It's this amazingly delicious, slightly sour, very thin bread that you use to scoop up various kinds of tasty Ethiopian dishes. A lot of people are afraid to make injera, but I really don't think it's that hard if you're laid back about it. I thought I'd post the recipe I use here in case anyone wants to give it a go. It's copied from a message I sent to a friend. Feel free to yell at me in the comments for whatever inauthentic materials or ingredients or procedures you think I'm using. But honestly, I probably won't change my method, because the end product here is tasty and works great with shiro.

Okay, so here's the injera recipe I kinda sorta follow, with some amendments. I started with a recipe from a book called Exotic Ethiopian Cooking and made some adjustments based on what works best for me. As I said before, I switch in a little all-purpose flour, but I don't remember how much. I'm sorry. I'm really bad with recipes. Make sure you use a good, hot, nonstick pan and sprinkle with salt each time--NO OIL!--and definitely cover with a lid as suggested. I also scrape any injera bits off the pan about every third one to keep the surface smooth and non-sticky. Add in a little water or a little extra flour at cook time to get the consistency just right, too. And don't be afraid to adjust along the way. If your first piece of injera is too thick, add some water. If it's too thin, add some flour. Think of it like making crepes or pancakes, and don't stress too much about it. Good luck!

Here goes:

1 1/2 lbs tef

6 cups water

2 packages yeast

In large bowl/bucket dissolve yeast in warm water, add flour mixture and mix. Leave covered 1-2 days until fermentation begins and water rises to top. (Trust me. It will happen.) Carefully discard water from top. Stir mixture and add all purpose flour or water until mixture is just right. Let sit for about 10 minutes while you preheat your pan.

Preheat pan on medium-high heat. Sprinkle a little salt on the pan before pouring mixture on EVERY TIME. Take about 1/2 cup of the mixture and pour into the pan slowly, starting at the edge and going in circles and coming to the center. Cover pan for 2-4 minutes. When ready, the edge of the injera will rise away from the pan. Don't remove the injera until the edge is pulling away all the way around. Remove immediately using a thin spatula and place on a clean cloth to cool. You can stack the pieces of injera on top of each other and just cover the top with a cloth. Injera can be covered and stored in a cool place or refrigerated for about 2-3 days. Makes 6-8 servings.

You can order tef from Bob's Red Mill, but often you can also find it in bulk in health food stores.

And that's it! Happy eating!