Platter with Three Fast Injera Breads
(click to enlarge)

Injera Bread - Fast


North America   -   Injera
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 11 ea
***
1-1/2 hrs
Yes		 Injera is the bread of Ethiopia & Eritrea. It requires Teff flour and 1 to 7 days fermenting. This version can be made quickly with easy to get ingredients - see Comments.

3
1
2
1
4-1/2
1
ar
c
c
T
t
c
c

Flour, all-purp.
Flour, Buckwheat (1)  
Baking Soda
Salt
Club Soda (2)
Vinegar, white
Oil (3)

See Gallery for tools used and more details. These breads weigh about 3.5 ounces each at 9 inches diameter.

Prep   -   (20 min)
  1. Select a mixing bowl much larger than you think is needed, because, when you mix in the vinegar it will foam up enthusiastically. I use an 11-1/2 inch (8 quart) medium depth stainless steel bowl.
  2. Start your griddle warming to about 430°F/220°C so it will be ready and stabilized by time the batter is ready. I recommend an Infrared Thermometer to confirm temperature.
  3. Mix together both Flours, Baking Soda and Salt. Whisk together until even. If you did this in you big mixing bowl, pour it into another bowl for now.
  4. Pour Club Soda into the empty mixing bowl. If you have just one bottle, add a little regular water to make 4-1/2 cups.
  5. Stir Flour mix into the Water a scoop at a time, whisking it in so as to avoid lumps. Don't add water to flour or you will have lumps you can't get rid of. You should have a batter that pours quite freely, so add more water if needed.
Run   -   (1 hrs)
  1. Make sure everything is ready to go.
  2. Quickly stir the Vinegar into the Batter until it is evenly distributed.
  3. With your griddle up to temperature, moisten a lump of paper towel with Oil and wipe it around so it coats very thin.
  4. Ladle batter to fill a small pitcher or 2 cup measuring cup. Pour batter onto the griddle in a thin stream from about 5 inches over the griddle. Pour in a spiral close enough so the batter closes any gaps. It should be about 9 inches diameter, unless you want some other size (see Note-4).
  5. Cover the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes, or until the edges start to lift off the griddle and the top is well set. If you have made it without a cover, you may need to flip it over for another 1 to 2 minutes. Lift off the griddle and set aside. Best to set it on a straw mat for a few minutes so it can steam off on both sides, then move to a plate.
  6. Re-oil the pan and repeat until you have used all the batter.
  7. Serve at room temperature - see Serving. Leftover Injera can be sealed in plastic and refrigerated for a couple days. It will eventually get crumbly.
NOTES:

  1. Buckwheat Flour:

      The color of this Injera is governed by the buckwheat flour used. Whole Grain Buckwheat Flour from Bob's Red Mill will produce very dark Injera, while Anthony's Organic Buckwheat Flour will produce a much lighter Injera, more like Teff. The Flavor of Anthony's is a little lighter. For examples, see Gallery.

  2. Club Soda:

      This product is a faked up Carbonated Mineral Water. I use a bottle of real Gerolsteiner carbonated Mineral Water which I always have on hand, and a little regular water.

  3. Oil:

      Use a high temperature oil like Olive Pomace, as griddle temperature can get high.

  4. Spreading Batter:

      If you are using a light 10 inch pan, you can just pour in about 6 inches diameter, then tilt the pan to spread it out to 9 inches. You don't want to spread the batter with a spatula, as that will break the surface bubbles. In Ethiopia, they pour the spiral from the outside in, but they're making it about 2 feet in diameter and are highly skilled. It's easier for us to pour from the center out.

  5. Serving:

      In Ethiopia and Eritrea, Injera bread is served with practically every meal. Traditionally, a very wide disk of Injera is the tablecloth with food dabbed on top. Pieces of Injera are torn off and used to pick up foods and sauces. When the food is gone, the rest of the Injera is eaten and dinner is over. Today, it is common to place a disk of Injera on an individual plate, with foods served over, and a couple half rolls of Injera on the side.

  6. Comments:

      Yes, this version is not made from Teff Flour, but it's still Injera. Many people in Ethiopia and Eritrea cannot afford expensive Teff Flour and use other flours. This recipe gets its sourness from vinegar rather than 3 to 7 days fermenting. It is derived from one by Sommer Collier at www.aspicyperspective.com/. See also the closely related Canjeero / Lahoh / Anjero which takes overnight fermenting, as it's not expected to be as sour.

  7. Recipe Uses:

      Injera is used in recipes, such as our Beef Firfir Stew and Injera with Flaxseed Dressing.
  8. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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