Injera (Teff Sourdough Flatbread)

Method

Injera is both plate and utensil, the large spongy sourdough flatbread onto which every Ethiopian stew is spooned, and its slight sour edge is not incidental — it is essential to the balance of the whole meal. The bread is made from teff, a tiny grain native to Ethiopia, and the three-day ferment that gives injera its sponge and its sourness is non-negotiable. A flatbread made without it is bread-like, but it is not injera: it lacks the sour, the holes, and the structural ability to hold liquid.

Begin three days ahead. Whisk the teff flour and plain flour together in a large non-metallic bowl, then gradually beat in about 500ml of the water until you have a smooth, thin batter with no lumps. Cover the bowl loosely with a cloth and leave it at room temperature. Over the next two to three days it will ferment: bubbles rise to the surface, a layer of clear liquid separates on top, and the smell turns pleasantly sour and yeasty. Stir it down once a day. Trust the smell of fermentation — under-fermented batter gives a flat, dense bread.

When the batter is lively and sour, pour off most of the separated liquid from the top. Boil a small cupful of the batter with a little water to make a loose paste called absit, then stir it back in — this cooked starter gives injera its characteristic elastic crumb. Whisk in the salt and enough of the remaining water to bring the batter to the consistency of thin single cream; it should pour easily and coat the back of a spoon only faintly.

Heat a large non-stick pan or flat griddle over a medium heat, wiping it very lightly with oil. Pour the batter in a thin spiral from the outside inwards to cover the base, then leave it completely alone — do not spread it and do not flip it. As it cooks, hundreds of tiny holes, the eyes, open across the surface; when the top is set and matte and the edges lift, the injera is done, after two to three minutes. Slide it onto a cloth to cool without stacking while hot. Repeat with the rest of the batter. Serve the injera at room temperature, spread flat, with the wats spooned across it and extra rolls alongside for tearing and scooping — the foundation of ethiopian-cuisine|communal eating.