Injera

Injera (Ethiopian Fermented Teff Flatbread)

A traditional Ethiopian flatbread made from naturally fermented teff flour batter, cooked into a large, spongy, slightly sour crepe with characteristic honeycomb holes. It serves as both plate and utensil for scooping up stews and salads.

Prep

20 min

Cook

15 min

Total

35 min

Serves

4-6

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •500 g (17½ oz (about 3½ cups)) teff flour, ivory or brown teff; brown gives deeper flavor and color
• •750 ml (3¼ cups) water, lukewarm, plus 60-120 ml (¼-½ cup) more as needed
• •1 g (¼ tsp) fine sea salt, optional, traditional injera is often unsalted

Steps

1. 1 Day 1 (morning): Whisk 500 g teff flour into 750 ml lukewarm water in a large non-reactive bowl until completely smooth and the consistency of thin pancake batter, adding more water 30 ml at a time if needed. Loosely cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave at room temperature (20-24°C / 68-75°F) for 24-72 hours to ferment. The batter is ready when it smells pleasantly tangy, has visible bubbles, and a thin layer of liquid (called ersho) on top.
2. 2 Day 2-4: Skim and reserve the liquid ersho from the top; set aside. Pour off the remaining liquid by tilting the bowl, then whisk the thick fermented batter. Gradually stir the reserved ersho back in along with additional water, 60-120 ml total, until the batter is back to original thin, pourable consistency. Stir in the salt if using. The surface should bubble when you tap the bowl.
3. 3 Heat a 30 cm (12 inch) nonstick skillet or well-seasoned flat griddle over medium heat. Do not grease. Test heat by flicking water onto the surface - drops should dance and evaporate immediately.
4. 4 Pour roughly 180 ml (¾ cup) of batter from a height of about 30 cm (12 in) onto the center of the hot pan in a circular motion to spread it out. Do not swirl with a utensil - the pour and thin batter do the work. The surface should be covered with the characteristic 'eye' holes (ayno hilk') as it cooks. Reduce heat to medium-low.
5. 5 Cover the pan (or use a large lid) and cook for 1-2 minutes until the surface is set but still moist on top and the bottom is lightly browned with darker brown spots near the edges. Do not flip. The top should not be wet and shiny but still spongy and soft.
6. 6 Loosen the edges with a spatula and transfer the injera to a clean cotton or linen cloth. Stack finished injera on top of each other and wrap loosely to keep soft and pliable. Repeat with remaining batter. Injera is traditionally eaten warm.
7. 7 Serve by laying one injera flat on a platter to line it, then arrange stews and salads on top; tear pieces of additional injera from the edges with your right hand to scoop up food. Refrigerate any leftovers up to 3 days, or freeze wrapped in plastic for up to 2 months.