Injera (\"sour dough\") (ethopia)

3 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
1¾ cup Unbleached white flour
½ cup Self rising flour
¼ cup Whole wheat bread flour
1 pack Dry yeast,about 1 Tablespoon
2½ cup Warm water
½ teaspoon Baking soda
½ teaspoon Salt

Directions

Combine the flours and yeast in a ceramic or glass bowl. Add the warm water and mix into a fairly thin, smooth batter. Let the mixture sit for three full days at room temperature. Stir the mixture once a day. It will bubble and rise.

When you are ready to make the injera, add the baking soda and salt and let the batter sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

Heat a small, nonstick 9 inch skillet. When a drop of water bounces on the pan's surface, take about ⅓ 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.

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.

If the first injera is undercooked, try using less of the mixture, perhaps ¼ 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.

Copied from "Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant", the Moosewood Collective, ISBN 0-671-67989-9. Comment from the book: Injera is a pliable, slightly fermented flat bread unique to the highlands of Eritrea and Ethiopia. It is an indispensable accompaniment to w'et, the Ethiopian stew. Made of t'eff, a member of the millet family, injera is light, with a somewhat spongy texture. T'eff is not readily available here, so I have substituted wheat flour. Although an imitation, this recipe approximates the real thing and is well worth the effort and the advance preparation.

Comment from the Shipps: Ditto -- this bread is a major part of the meal. The fermentation gives the bread a very nice flavor, not unlike our sour dough bread. It is a must for the Ethiopian stews. It would go well with other similar foods.

from Dale & Gail Shipp, Columbia Md.

Submitted By JR BYERS On 12-03-94

Related recipes