Injera Starter

Making injera starter is very simple. Just mix equal parts Teff flour (I use white teff) and water, cover and let sit for 24 hours. You will need 2 cups of starter to begin making injera, plus a little extra to keep your starter going.

If you begin this process with 1 cup of teff flour and 1 cup of water, you will only need to feed it (with equal parts teff flour and water) a couple of times before you have enough starter. It is important to let it sit at least overnight to develop the sour taste that is characteristic of injera. The longer you let the the starter sit, the more sour it becomes. You have been warned!

Mixing the Injera Starter

After adding equal parts teff flour and water, mix the starter just until the lumps are gone.

Ready to Use

This is what the starter looks like after it has been sitting for 24 hours. You can let it sit out longer, but you need to feed it every day with equal parts teff flour and water. If you keep it in the refrigerator, you only need to feed it about once per week.

Mixing

Once you have a starter going, you will remove 2 cups of starter and mix it with 2 cups of teff flour. A stand-type mixer is very helpful for this step, but not necessary. If you don't have a mixer, just mix it in a bowl and then knead it by hand. I mix mine in the mixer for about 10 minutes. After you've done this, begin adding water until you have a runny batter.

You will have another chance to get the consistency right, so don't stress too much about whether or not it's perfect. Mix until the batter is smooth and pour it into a pitcher or bowl and cover for the night.

The Next Morning

Here is what my starter looks like in the morning. It has a few bubbles.

Blending the Starter

Put the starter into a blender and blend it on high for a few minutes. You want to get rid of the gritty feeling, so use your fingers to feel when it's done. You may have to do this in a couple of different batches to avoid overfilling your blender (that's messy!).

The Finger Test

Once your starter has been blended, you will add 3 cups of self-rising flour and some water. Mix it by hand and then put it back in to the blender to make sure there are no lumps. You add water until you have a crepe-like batter. It should run off your fingers when you put your hand into the batter and leave a thin film behind.

The Injera Batter

Here is what the batter looks like when I'm all done mixing. Now, cover it and let it sit all day (I've cheated a little bit on the "all day" thing and it turned out OK). The batter will bubble and rise and then fall a little bit. This is good! Put it in the refrigerator for about an hour before you begin cooking.

Fire up the Fire!

I have a 12" non-stick skillet with a lid that I use to make my injera. The pan needs to be very hot. I set my gas stove on high to cook injera. I use about 2/3 cup of batter for each piece of injera. I pour it in the middle and then quickly swirl my pan to cover the entire bottom of the pan.

The Swirl

Here I am swirling my pan. Pretty interesting, huh?

Cooking the Injera

This is what the injera looks like when it first begins to cook. I usually wait about 30 seconds before I put the lid on. I let it start to set up around the outside edges and get bubbly and then cover it to let it steam.

Cover the Pan

Once I put the lid on the pan, I cook the injera for around 60 seconds. I don't time it, I just wait until it is the same color all over. It will turn from white to brown when it is cooked.

Is it Done?

You'll know when the injera is done when the edges start to lift away from the pan and it is a uniform color all over. You have to lift the lid and peek to check it.

Out of the Pan

Once the injera is done, take the pan off the flame. Have a lint-free towel ready to lay the injera on. I do not use a spatula. I just turn my pan upside down and it usually falls right out. If it doesn't, I encourage it by lifting up on the edge that has pulled away from the pan. It seems to give it just enough motivation to get moving.

Rolling the Injera

My pan is the perfect size to make injera that cover my plates. I use one for each plate and then roll the rest up and cut into chunks. Let the injera cool before rolling, or it may stick and not open back up. My husband tosses the injera in the air like a pizza crust to cool it quickly. Men!

(Someone really should have told me to trim all my nails to the same length before this photo shoot...)

The Platter

Are you getting hungry? Mmmm...

Enebla!

This is the finished wonder, complete with some tasty Ethiopian stews to go with it.

One Happy Ethiopian Girl

This is why I go to all that trouble...