Injera, a fermented and spongy flatbread, is a key element of Ethiopian cuisine. It’s often served as the base for dishes, and you’re served more of it in the form of rolled pancakes — then you just tear off bits and use it to pick up the food. No cutlery needed!

Injera can be made with wheat flour (as in the above pic), but as far as I understand, it’s traditionally made with teff, a completely different grain. But teff flour, at least in the U.S., is expensive ($4/lb.) compared to wheat flour, so Ethiopian restaurants may charge more if you order all-teff injera.

My experience with making teff injera has been frustrating — not the preparation of the dough, but the cooking of it. I’ve never been able to get close to the spongy texture, as in the above pic.

Ingredients:

• 2 C. teff flour
• 3 C. water

Method:

Stir together the flour and water, then leave at room temperature for two to three days, until bubbly and slightly sour smelling. I’ve had best results here adding a bit (1 Tbsp.) of sourdough starter, although you can also use a bit of yeast. The reason for adding them is that you’ll give “good” yeast a head start, so it can out-compete any less-desirous wild yeasts.

At first it will look bubbly:

Then the flour will separate, leaving water on top:

Carefully pour off the water:

In a saucepan, bring 1 C. of water to the boil. Add 1/2 C. of the dough, then whisk vigorously for 1-2 minutes. As it cooks, it will get very thick:

Allow it to cool to room temperature, then add it back to the dough, whisking to incorporate it. At this point, the dough will be very thick, and you want something more like a crepe batter, so add water as needed (I usually have to add 1 to 1-1/2 C. water.

(Optional) allow to ferment for a few more hours.

Wow, that was easy! Now the not-fun (for me) began!

You REALLY REALLY need a non-stick pan that can be covered. The first couple of times I tried to make this, I used both a non-seasoned and seasoned (but not non-stick) pan, and it just stuck:

So I ended up making teff fritters . . . good, but not what I wanted!

So:

Heat a non-stick pan on high. No oil! Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the dough, and cook it for a minute or two, until there are bubbles on the top. Then cover the pan (don’t flip the pancake) and cook for another couple of minutes.

My problem? My only non-stick pan doesn’t have a cover!

So this was the best I could do:

So . . . not the nice spongy injera I was hoping for. But actually pretty light, and delicious with the Ethiopian dishes I made.

After all this, I’ve found out I’m not the only one who has been frustrated by making 100% teff injera . . . apparently, it’s much easier if you use 1/2 teff and 1/2 wheat flour, so I’ll try that next time.

-R