Injera Recipe for Ethiopian bread

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, injera is almost a kind of staple food and is often served with ragouts and stews, the Ethiopian Wot. The consistency of this sour flatbread is rather soft, comparable to our pancakes. Injera is traditionally made from teff flour. This is a millet species from the sweetgrass family and is difficult to get in Europe.

For this reason, outside Ethiopia and Eritrea, Injera is often prepared with millet or wheat flour, even if the taste does not quite match the original. For this recipe, I used brown millet flour. If you want to try the original Injera with teff flour*, you can find it on the internet or in Alnatura stores.

Preparation of the Injera

The dough for the injera must rest for at least one night, so start preparing it early enough. To do this, crumble the yeast cube and mix it with the lukewarm water. Take a large bowl and mix the yeast water with the flour and some salt to a smooth dough.

Cover the dough and let it ferment at room temperature for at least one night. The longer the fermentation time, the more typically sour the result. The Ethiopian original ferments for about 2-3 days. I let the dough rest for 3 days for this recipe.

To bake the Injera dough, take a large pan and rub it with a little salt. This creates a rougher surface, which makes the injera work better.

Heat the pan without oil and add a ladle of dough. Do not be surprised, the dough should be very liquid. Turn and flip the pan so that the dough is evenly distributed and the bottom of the pan is covered.

Like me, you will probably have to make a few attempts to find the perfect amount of dough to obtain the desired thickness and consistency of the Injera flatbread.

As soon as the first bubbles and holes form on the top, bake the dough with the lid closed until the edge of the dough comes off by itself. Finally, remove the finished, still light and fluffy Injera from the pan and let it cool. You eat the injera together with Ethiopian wot by hand. Bon appetite.

Injera  – My conclusion

The optimal consistency requires some practice and the sour taste of the bread may not be for everyone. But together with various ragouts, you can conjure up a delicious dish that will bring a touch of Africa to your home.

More matching articles and recipes:

• Ethiopian wot with lentils
• Suya skewers from Nigeria
• Benachin – Jollof rice from West Africa

What are your experiences with the Injera? Have you found the optimal consistency and preparation method for you? I look forward to your comments.