Fermentationist Certification: Ferment 5 ~ Injera

Injera

Doesn't look perfect but tastes perfect!

History:

Teff, the principal grain used in injera was almost lost to the world. It was grown exclusively in Ethiopia for thousands of years, where farmers did not trade their grain with the rest of Africa largely because it was labor intensive to grow. In the 70s the socialist military government insisted that the farmers grow less labour intensive crops to participate in trade and make more money for their state. At this point an American from Idaho, Wayne Carlson, who was fascinated by the growing practices and a big fan of Ethiopian food, brought seeds back home where teff is now grown and sold to local Ethiopian communities.

Today, teff flour is fairly easy to find. Teff is the tiniest grain in the world. It takes 150 teff grains to equal the weight of a single wheat grain!

Health Benefits:

Teff is one of the gluten free grains, along with amaranth, buckwheat, millet, and quinoa.  Teff is packed high with protein, calcium, and iron. In fact, one cup of cooked teff contains as much as the USDA recommends for adults in one day. It’s nutritionally rich because most of the grain is made up of bran and germ, where the nutrients live. The whole grain is made into flour. It takes 150 teff grains to equal the weight of a single wheat grain.

Teff is fermented into injera to increase assimilation. Injera falls into the fermented foods category to increase assimilation. Injera is not fermented for probiotics or for preservation but it makes the grain more nutritious.

Injera at Ethiopian restaurants located in the U.S. is often cut with wheat flour to reduce overall costs. This is because teff is expensive compared to wheat (which is subsidized in the U.S. to reduce the cost to customers). If you are gluten free you should call ahead when ordering injera at an Ethiopian restaurant and request 100% teff injera. Not all restaurants will accommodate this request.

Step by Step:

Gluten Free Teff

• 1 1/2 Cups water, at room temperature
• 1 Cup teff flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• Coconut oil for cooking

Combine:

Combine the teff and water in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth. It will have the consistency
of a thin pancake batter.

Teff Flour mixed with Water

Ferment:

Loosely cover the bowl with a lid/cloth and ferment for two days on the counter or someplace that is about 70 degrees. You should see some rising in about four hours.  Allow to sit undisturbed for 2-3
days then add salt and baking soda and stir.

The mixture will have a yeasty/sour smell. You will also notice small bubbles on the surface now. The baking soda mixes with the acids produced during fermentation. It will help make it less sour. If you like your injera less sour add more baking soda, if you like it more sour, use less baking soda. Stir your mixture.

Cook your Injera

Heat a small cast iron pan over medium heat (you’ll also need a tight-fitting lid). Add about 1/2 tablespoon of coconut oil. Let it melt to medium heat. Pour about 1/2 Cup of batter in the center of the skillet. Tilt and swirl the skillet immediately to coat evenly.

Let the bread cook for about 1 minute, just until holes start to form on the surface. Cover the skillet with the lid to steam the injera.  Cook for about 3 minutes, just until the edges pull away from the sides and the top is set.

Add batter to cast iron frying pan

Cover

Let stand

The first 12 injera's might be a slight disaster because of the excess oil— Don't worry. The
rest of them will get better as you practice!

There is also an injera cooker that you can purchase online. There are many different kinds
and they create a more traditional injera without oil. They cook beautifully and easily with
this grill.  I found a great video demonstrating how to cook injera on a cooker!

US & Canada:  Electric Mogogo Grill
US & Canada:  Electric Mitad Grill  (This company used to have a Canadian version and I no longer see it.  I will update this post once they get back to me on this!)

Progress:

24.06.2016:  Start date ~ started soaking Teff at 9PM
26.06.2016:  Started cooking Injera at 9AM on a gas stove top ~  Success as my 20 month old loved them!  I made served them typical pancake style to get the kids used to it.  Note that I didn't need to use any oil with my well seasoned cast iron frying pan.

11.07.2016:  Update:  I tried injera once again at my mother-in-law's home and she has a flat cook top.  I brought my own cast iron pan and I wasn't able to cook the injera without it sticking with/without oil.  My experiment was a flop this time :(  I think it has to do with the heat that the gas stove top gives.