| Injera is not only a kind of breadits also an eating utensil. In Ethiopia and Eritrea, this spongy, sour flatbread is used to scoop up meat and vegetable stews. Injera also lines the tray on which the stews are served, soaking up their juices as the meal progresses. When this edible tablecloth is eaten, the meal is officially over. Injera is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is very nutritious, it contains practically no gluten. This makes teff ill-suited for making raised bread, however injera still takes advantage of the special properties of yeast. A short period of fermentation gives it an airy, bubbly texture, and also a slightly sour taste.
Ethiopian and Eritrean immigrants have modified their recipes after moving to the United States or Europe, depending on what grains are available to them. The injera you find in many East African restaurants in the United States includes both teff and wheat flours. Most injera made in Ethiopia and Eritrea, on the other hand, is made solely with teff. Recipe Conversions | | ||
| What Do I Need? | |||
1/4 cup teff flour a mixing bowl |  Tip If you have teff grain instead of flour, first grind it in a clean coffee grinder, or with a mortar and pestle. | ||
| What Do I Do? | |||
| 1. Put the teff flour in the bottom of a mixing bowl, and sift in the all-purpose flour. 2. Slowly add the water, stirring to avoid lumps. 3. Put the batter aside for a day or more (up to three days) to allow it to ferment. In this time, your injera batter will start to bubble and acquire the slight tanginess for which it’s known. Note: If you find that your injera batter does not ferment on its own, try adding a teaspoon of yeast. 4. Stir in the salt. 5. Heat a nonstick pan or lightly oiled cast-iron skillet until a water 6. Coat the pan with a thin layer of batter. Injera should be thicker than a crêpe, but not as thick as a traditional pancake. It will rise slightly when it heats. 7. Cook until holes appear on the surface of the bread. Once the surface is dry, remove the bread from the pan and let it cool. |  Did You Know? Teff is extremely high in fiber, iron, and calcium. | ||
| Whats Going On? | |||
| If youve ever cooked pancakes, making injera might seem familiar. In both cases, tiny bubbles form on top as the batter cooks. Keeping an eye on these bubbles is a great way to see how close the pancake or injera is to being ready without peeking underneath. These bubbles come from the carbon-dioxide produced by the leavenerusually baking powder or soda in the case of pancakes, wild yeast in the case of injera . Neither batter contains much gluten. Most pancake recipes tell you not to mix the batter too much: If you do, gluten will develop, making them too chewy. Teff, the grain used to make injera , contains very little gluten to begin with. In both cases, the result is the same: With no gummy substance to blow up, most of the carbon-dioxide from the leaveners rapidly escapes into the air, leaving the little popped bubbles that contribute to the distinctive textures of these breads. | |||
| What Else Can I Try? | |||
| To see for yourself how little gluten there is in teff, try kneading some teff flour into a ball of dough. (You might also include teff flour in the gluten ball activity ). Youll get very different results than when you use wheat flour. | |||
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CAUTION 
FAQs
What is Ethiopian injera made of? ›
"Injera" is an Amharic term for Ethiopian bread similar to pan cake, made usually from teff. Injera is thin, prepared from teff flour, water and starter (a fluid collected from previously fermented mix) after successive fermentations [1].
Is Ethiopian injera healthy? ›3. It's Healthy. Did you know that the star ingredient, teff, in injera, is not only super tasty but also jam-packed with nutrients? The super grain is filled with complete proteins, fibre, magnesium, iron and calcium (in fact, no other grain on earth has more fibre per serving).
How long does injera need to ferment? ›Put the batter aside for a day or more (up to three days) to allow it to ferment. In this time, your injera batter will start to bubble and acquire the slight tanginess for which it's known. Note: If you find that your injera batter does not ferment on its own, try adding a teaspoon of yeast.
Does injera spike insulin? ›Teff Injera and White Wheat Bread have low glycemic index and are recommended to be consumed by diabetic patients, whereas Corn Injera has high glycemic index and is not recommended for diabetic patients.
Is injera good for gut? ›As a fermented food, a daily regular dose of injera also assists maintaining a healthy balance of gut flora to ward troublesome bacteria away. Ethiopians will eat injera for breakfast, lunch and dinner but one serving a day should suffice for a visitor.
Do Ethiopians eat injera with every meal? ›Most Ethiopian dishes are served alongside injera, a flat, soft, and spongy bread made from teff, wheat, barley or millet.
Why does injera taste sour? ›Over several days, naturally occurring bacteria and yeast in ersho break down the teff's complex carbohydrates, creating a batter with a distinct sour flavor and a characteristic rise. Fermentation unlocks teff's nutrients and contributes to injera's unique spongy texture, loved by so many.
How to tell if injera has gone bad? ›When warming Injera in microwave, the BEST way to get the softness is to wrap the Injera in a clean cloth and placing it in microwave for 45-60 seconds. Similar to other breads, when you see white/gray spots, it means, Injera has spoiled so discard.
What are the disadvantages of teff? ›Teff is perfectly safe to be consumed at a moderate level. However excessive consumption of teff might pose adverse effects. Teff is high in fibre and excessive consumption fibre might cause the problem of bloating and gas. The level of thiamine in teff is typically lower than other cereal grains.
Is injera addictive? ›“We did a research and 91.5% of Ethiopians say injera is an addiction that they cannot do without”, he went on to explain, “In fact in the Lord's Prayer, we Ethiopians normally say “Give us our daily Injera”.
Why is my injera gummy? ›
Why is my injera gummy? Injera tends to be gummy while it is warm. If you are heating it on a pan and it is burned on the bottom while gummy at the top, it probably means that the pan is too hot.
Why is my injera cracking? ›Injera cracking is often due to an absit issue. Since 100% teff injera is gluten free, absit is needed to help the teff flour bind together and create a soft texture. If your absit to batter ratio is off, then the yeast will not have enough sugars to consume and the batter will not adhere properly when cooked.
What is the white stuff on injera? ›Injera is traditionally made by fermenting teff flour and water, after a day especially if left at room temperature, injera can continue to ferment, causing a white appearance on the surface.
Is teff flour healthy? ›Teff has a high fiber content per serving. When cooked, teff has a lower glycemic index compared to other grains, preventing blood sugar spikes. For those with diabetes, teff, along with other grains, should be consumed in moderation. Teff is only 3% fat, and contains the essential omega 6 and omega 3 fatty acids.
Why did Ethiopians use teff instead of wheat? ›Teff is well known by Ethiopians and Eritreans for its superior nutritional quality. It contains 11% protein, 80% complex carbohydrate and 3% fat. It is an excellent source of essential amino acids, especially lysine, the amino acid that is most often deficient in grain foods.
What is Ethiopian teff made of? ›Teff flour derives from the seeds of “Eragrostis tef”, a plant native to Africa. Nowadays, farmers cultivate teff crops in other countries, including India, Australia, and the United States. It is a popular substitute for wheat flour among people who follow a gluten-free diet.