Fermented Teff Injera (The Real Thing)

Ingredients

• 3 cups (400g) teff flour
• 3 1/2 cups (830g) water (filtered or dechlorinated if your tap water is heavily treated), plus more as needed
• 1/2 tsp (3g) salt (optional)
• A few tablespoons (30–45g) of saved liquid (ersho) from a previous batch (optional, speeds up fermentation)

Instructions

Day 1: Mix

1. Stir the teff and water together in a large glass or ceramic bowl until there are no dry lumps. It’ll look like a thin, muddy batter. Stir in saved ersho if you have it.
2. Cover loosely with a towel or a plate (not airtight) and leave it at room temperature, ideally around 70–75°F.

Days 2–3: Ferment

3. Leave it alone. Within a day or two you’ll see bubbles, the batter will smell sour, and a layer of darker liquid (ersho) will collect on top.
4. Once it smells clearly sour, usually after 2–3 days (longer in a cool kitchen), it’s ready. If you see fuzzy mold of any color, throw it out and start over.

Cook day

5. Carefully pour off most of the liquid on top. Save a few tablespoons in a jar in the fridge for your next batch.
6. (Optional absit, for a softer texture and more holes.) Whisk about 1/2 cup of the batter into 1 cup of water in a small pot. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until it thickens like pudding. Cool until just warm, stir it back into the main batter, cover and wait 30 minutes to a couple of hours, until bubbly and slightly risen.
7. Stir in the salt if using, and thin the batter with water a little at a time until it’s like crepe batter.
8. Heat a 10–12” nonstick skillet with a lid over medium to medium-high heat. Don’t add oil.
9. Pour about 1/2 cup of batter into the pan in a spiral, starting at the outside edge and working toward the middle, or pour it all at once and quickly tilt the pan to spread it.
10. Cook uncovered until holes form all over the surface, usually 30–60 seconds.
11. Cover and cook another 1–2 minutes, until the top looks dry (not shiny or wet) and the edges start lifting from the pan.
12. Don’t flip it. Slide it onto a clean towel and let it cool in a single layer before stacking, or they’ll stick together. Let the pan come back to temperature and repeat.

Notes

• Normal vs. not: Bubbles, a sour smell and dark liquid on top are all signs of healthy fermentation. Fuzzy mold is not.
• No holes: The batter is too thick, the pan is too cool, or it didn’t ferment long enough. Thin it a little or turn the heat up.
• Gummy on top: Keep it covered a bit longer, or pour a thinner layer.
• Brown on the bottom: The heat is too high. Injera should stay pale and soft.
• Short on time? Try the quick same-day injera instead.
• Blood sugar: Injera is still a starchy bread, even made with teff. Keep the portion reasonable and serve it with plenty of protein and fiber, like misir wat, greens and eggs. Nutrition is approximate and per injera.
• Storage: Keep wrapped at room temperature for a day or two, or in the fridge for up to a week. Warm briefly in a covered pan or the microwave. Freezes well with parchment between the layers.
• More background in the blog post: Making Injera at Home.