[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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