[Sca-cooks] Injera (an Ethiopian flat bread)

Terry Decker t.d.decker at att.net
Sat Apr 3 08:28:55 PDT 2010


The Ethiopians don't worry about refrigeration.  The recipe leaves out a few 
things.

The salt is optional.  The traditional recipe I have doesn't use it and I 
wouldn't add more than a 1/4 teaspoon to two cups of flour.

You use 2 1/2 cups of warm water to 2 cups teff flour to make the sponge. 
You use 1/2 cup warm water to proof the yeast.  Then combine the flour and 
yeast  mixtures.  After the fermentation, decant any standing liquid on top 
of the sponge.  Take 1/2 cup of the sponge and add it to 1 cup boiling 
water.  Reduce the heat and stir until thickened.  Cool pan until warm to 
the touch.  Add the remaining sponge and blend.  Add warm water, if 
necessary, to thin the batter.  Let stand for 30 to 60 minutes.  Cook on the 
griddle.

The key issue in the cooling is keeping the moisture in the bread.  It's a 
thin bread and it will dry out faster than a French baguette.

Batter breads have a fairly early origin and this particular bread is 
obviously related to some Yemini breads, suggesting cultural transfer 
between 700-900 CE, if not earlier.  Rather than saying that this sounds 
like a lot of period flat breads (which is not necessarily true), I would 
say that it is a batter bread which makes it similar to all other batter 
breads including period batter breads.

Bear


----- Original Message ----- 

Got this from a friend on another list. Have no idea of it's time of origin, 
but it sounds like a lot of period flat breads, except for the 
refrigeration.:
Injera
D'vorah Bint Al-Attar commented on her status:

"I don't really use a recipe, but the basic idea is:

A couple cups of teff flour
A little salt (1/4 teaspoon? teaspoon and a half?)
A pinch of yeast


Stir together. Add in as much water as all the rest put together, for 
starters, and stir. It should look a lot like a runny pancake batter.

Let it sit overnight, loosely covered, or 2-3 days covered in the fridge. 
This way the yeast will grow and develop really slowly, and thus become much 
more flavorful.

Fry on a griddle or a big skillet, preferably cast-iron, just like you'd do 
with a pancake, except that you only fry one side rather than both. LET 
COOL, unfried-side-up, on one plate, then transfer to another plate, with 
layers of wax paper between each one. The cooling is important, because that 
helps it develop the spongy texture that is so important with injera.

To serve: spread them all out in a single layer with just a bit of overlap 
in a big plate or bowl. Ladle thick soup or stew on top, preferably an 
Ethiopian or Indian variety, as those taste especially good with injera.

If you don't care about keeping it gluten-free, you can replace up to half 
of the teff with flour from wheat, spelt, barley, or rye. That helps it get 
a stronger texture that can be used as a wrap, whereas normal teff-only 
injera is going to fall apart a bit more."
Lady Anne du Bosc, Called Mordonna
Thorngill, Meridies





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