Injera

The Method for Injera

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1. Whisk the teff flour with the 600 ml of water in a large non-metal bowl until smooth and about the thickness of single cream. Stir in the yeast if you are starting from scratch rather than from an existing starter.

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2. Cover loosely with a cloth and leave at warm room temperature, 22 to 26°C / 72 to 79°F, for 3 days.

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3. From the second day it will separate, with a layer of dark water on top and a sour, faintly beery smell. That is correct. Do not stir it during the ferment.

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4. On the third day, pour off most of the dark liquid on top and discard it, then whisk the batter smooth. It should smell distinctly sour and be full of small bubbles.

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5. Whisk in the salt and enough water to bring it back to the thickness of single cream — it will have thickened considerably.

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6. Heat a large non-stick or seasoned pan over medium heat and wipe it with the barest film of oil.

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7. Pour about 120 ml of batter in a spiral from the outside inwards, tilting to fill any gaps, and cover with a lid.

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8. Cook 2 to 3 minutes without turning. The surface will fill with tiny holes, then dry from the edges to the centre. It is ready when no wet patch remains.

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9. Lift onto a cloth and cool in a single layer before stacking, or they weld together.

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Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.

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Things to Watch For

1. Never turn it. Cooking one side only is what keeps the eyes open.
2. Keep 200 ml of finished batter as a starter and the next batch ferments in a day.
3. A blue-green fuzz means mould and the batch goes out. Dark liquid and a sour smell are exactly what should happen.

On the Table Alongside

Doro wat · Misir wat and gomen · A pile of it, as the plate

Leftovers

Wrapped at room temperature for 2 days. Injera dries fast and is not worth refrigerating.

Questions People Ask

Injera Nutrition Facts

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. Garnishes, greasing and other items with no amount are not counted. How the figures are worked out.