Ethiopian Injera

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   I picked up this Bethany Silverstone Heritage Grill Lefse baker awhile back to be used as a Mitad for injera.

I've been working on my injera for weeks because job life has been crazy, and I know very little about bread baking.  First I had to learn about sourdough starter.  What the heck is that?  (I can hear Historic Foodie snickering from here ).  A bread baking friend of mine sent me some of his starter and walked me through the process of feeding and growth.  After I changed this white flour sourdough starter into a Teff starter, Teff, being the preferred injera grain, I had to learn how to prepare and ferment this into Leet or injera batter.  While this was happening, I was ordering many new Ethiopian herbs and spices along with some new basic cooking equipment.

Today I produced the first of many injera.  Injera is the most difficult part of Ethiopian cuisine and I wanted to get this down before turning my attention to the wots.  I made a few mistakes but overall I must pronounce this a success.  My leet was to thick, and produced a lot of ain, or holes.  This is good news as to little ain is the most common problem.

Leet after hitting the 500ºF Mitad.  It looked like this in the time it took me to grab my camera and get the shot.  Seconds.

My very first finished injera resting in a setata, or injera cooling mat.

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gracoman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Chef Joined: 09 August 2013 Status: Offline Points: 843	Post Options Post Reply Quote gracoman Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Ethiopian Injera Posted: 16 February 2014 at 19:01
	I picked up this Bethany Silverstone Heritage Grill Lefse baker awhile back to be used as a Mitad for injera. I've been working on my injera for weeks because job life has been crazy, and I know very little about bread baking. First I had to learn about sourdough starter. What the heck is that? (I can hear Historic Foodie snickering from here ). A bread baking friend of mine sent me some of his starter and walked me through the process of feeding and growth. After I changed this white flour sourdough starter into a Teff starter, Teff, being the preferred injera grain, I had to learn how to prepare and ferment this into Leet or injera batter. While this was happening, I was ordering many new Ethiopian herbs and spices along with some new basic cooking equipment. Today I produced the first of many injera. Injera is the most difficult part of Ethiopian cuisine and I wanted to get this down before turning my attention to the wots. I made a few mistakes but overall I must pronounce this a success. My leet was to thick, and produced a lot of ain, or holes. This is good news as to little ain is the most common problem. Leet after hitting the 500ºF Mitad. It looked like this in the time it took me to grab my camera and get the shot. Seconds. My very first finished injera resting in a setata, or injera cooling mat.

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TasunkaWitko Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9301	Post Options Post Reply Quote TasunkaWitko Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 16 February 2014 at 20:14
	I've been waiting to see this since you bought the lefse maker, Gman, and it looks like you did a great job here! When you get the chance, would you please share the process, recipe etc.? Injera is something that I've very much been wanting to try.
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gracoman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Chef Joined: 09 August 2013 Status: Offline Points: 843	Post Options Post Reply Quote gracoman Report Post Thanks(1) Quote Reply Posted: 16 February 2014 at 21:11
	Absolutely. But first there are changes that need to be made. I made some mistakes, as I was sure I would, and a bit more experimentation is in order before I am happy with it. And that is just for this particular style which is an Americanized version. There are different kinds of injera. 100% Teff, part self rising white flour, part barley flour, part rice flour, no teff at all, and quite a few others. Teff itself comes in 2 different varieties. Dark and Ivory. I will be posting quite a bit here about my journey into Ethiopian food.

TasunkaWitko Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 25 January 2010 Location: Chinook, MT Status: Offline Points: 9301	Post Options Post Reply Quote TasunkaWitko Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 16 February 2014 at 21:16
	Sounds great - I am indeed looking forward to this! Thanks!
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HistoricFoodie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Admin Group Joined: 21 February 2012 Location: Kentucky Status: Offline Points: 4875	Post Options Post Reply Quote HistoricFoodie Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 17 February 2014 at 03:00
	Me too. It's a cuisine I know nothing about. Strange, when you consider my fascination with northern African foods.

gracoman Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Chef Joined: 09 August 2013 Status: Offline Points: 843	Post Options Post Reply Quote gracoman Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 17 February 2014 at 06:32
	The video series below, and blog, is by far the most informative I found. There are dozens of other sites with info using dried yeast, or other quick methods, but I am after the real deal. Injera should have a sour fermented characteristic. The only "cheat" I used was beginning with a prepared sourdough starter rather than wild yeast. I may try the wild capture method in warmer months when success is more likely but that would be just for grins and giggles. Although injera may be produced in a large frying pan, this blog states high heat is necessary for proper ain (hole) formation as it forces the quick release of yeast produced CO2 gas. My leet (batter) was to thick and my grill may be running a little hot. Trial and error will get me where I need to be and I am very close right out of the starting gate. This series calls for self rising flour. I made my own self rising flour by adding 1.5 Tsp baking powder per cup of AP flour. No salt. Salt and yeast don't get along together well. How to make Injera

AK1 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Master Chef Joined: 10 April 2012 Location: Ontario, Canada Status: Offline Points: 1081	Post Options Post Reply Quote AK1 Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 20 February 2014 at 17:53
	I would definitely eat that.

africanmeat Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Chef Joined: 20 January 2012 Location: south africa Status: Offline Points: 910	Post Options Post Reply Quote africanmeat Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Posted: 22 February 2014 at 11:20
	nice my wife is making a bread like that when she makes a Yemen beef soup . its called Lahoh
	Ahron