Ethiopian Bread Food

INJERA (ETHIOPIAN TEFF BREAD)

Steps:

• Mix 1/2 cup white teff flour and brown teff flour together in a bowl. Add 1 cup water and whisk well. Pour mixture into a glass container large enough to hold 3 times the original volume. Cover with cheesecloth or other breathable fabric to keep out dust; do not seal with plastic wrap as air circulation is vital. Leave covered container in a draft-free environment; the mixture needs air to be circulated in order to ferment. Stir batter 2 times over 24 hours.
• Check for bubbles and possibly an increase in volume after 24 hours; there may also be a slightly tangy and sour smell. When you notice these things, add 1 tablespoon white teff flour and 1 tablespoon water to the batter and whisk well. Check in a few hours to see if bubbles have again formed, mixture has increased in volume, and the pungent smell is still evident; if so, the batter is ready and you can skip to the cooking process (step 5).
• Leave batter to rest another 12 hours if the mixture has not begun to form or smell sour after the first 24 hours; stir once during this time. Check to see if bubbles have formed, mixture has increased in volume, and a pungent smell is evident; if so, proceed with step 4.
• Mix together 2 tablespoons white teff flour and 2 tablespoons water in a bowl, making sure there are no lumps. Add mixture to the batter, whisking well. Wait a few hours; batter should be bubbly with a noticeable increase in volume and a pungent but fragrant smell, indicating it is ready to be cooked.
• Heat an 8-inch crepe pan or nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Pour a scant 1/2 cup batter slowly and steadily into the hot pan in a circular motion from outside to inside. Cover the pan completely in a spiral without swirling. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, allowing steam to cook the top of the bread, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from pan with spatula and transfer to a plate; cover to keep warm. Repeat with remaining batter.

ETHIOPIAN FLAT BREAD (INJERA)

Steps:

• Mix everything together to form a batter.
• Let set in large bowl, covered, an hour or longer, until batter rises and becomes stretchy.
• It can sit as long as 3-6 hours.
• When ready, stir batter if liquid has settled on bottom.
• Then whip in blender, 2 cups of batter at a time, thinning it with 1/2 - 3/4 cup water.
• Batter will be quite thin.
• Cook in non-stick frypan WITHOUT OIL (is that a great instruction or what?) over medium or medium-high heat.
• Use 1/2 cup batter per injera for a 12-inch pan or 1/3 cup batter for a 10-inch pan.
• Pour batter in heated pan and quickly swirl pan to spread batter as thin as possible.
• Batter should be no thicker than 1/8-inch.
• Do not turn over.
• Injera does not easily stick or burn.
• It is cooked through when bubbles appear all over the top.
• Lay each injera on a clean towel for a minute or two, then stack in covered dish to keep warm.
• Finished injera will be thicker than a crepe, but thinner than a pancake.

INJERA

Steps:

• Combine the teff flour and active dry yeast in a large bowl. Add 2 cups lukewarm water and whisk or, more traditionally, use your hand to mix everything together, making sure the mixture is absolutely smooth with no lumps. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature until the mixture is bubbly and tastes sour like tangy yogurt, 36 to 48 hours. (It will start bubbling and rising in a matter of hours, but it can take anywhere from 36 to 48 hours to achieve a noticeable level of sourness, which is key to the flavor of the injera; see Cook's Note.) After about 36 hours, begin tasting the mixture; this will help you determine when it's just right and will help prevent it from souring too much.
• At this point, the batter will look separated and watery on top. If you shake the bowl a little, you should see some bubbles rising to the top. Add the self-rising flour and up to 1 cup of water a little at a time. Whisk or use your hand to thoroughly combine into a smooth, thin, pourable mixture with about the consistency of a slightly thicker crepe batter. Cover again and let sit for 1 hour.
• Heat a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. Have a lid for the skillet and a wire baking rack nearby. Whisk 1 teaspoon salt into the batter (it will bubble up). Pour 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet, tilting and swirling to coat with a thin layer of batter. The batter should spread quickly and easily. (If it's too thick, whisk in a little more water.) Within a matter of seconds, you should start seeing small holes forming and the surface darkening as it cooks from the outside towards the center. When the injera is about 3/4 of the way cooked, cover the skillet and let steam for 1 minute. The injera is cooked when the edges are dry and lifting up from the pan. Carefully run a spatula underneath and transfer to the baking rack to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining batter.
• You can stack the injera only when they are completely cooled; otherwise, they will stick to each other. Wrap the stack of cooled injera with a dry, clean cloth or paper towels to keep them from drying out until ready to serve. Serve at room temperature, or microwave for 30 seconds to heat through.

ETHIOPIAN HONEY BREAD

Steps:

• In a small measuring cup, sprinkle yeast over lukewarm water. Let stand for 3 minutes, then stir to dissolve yeast. Set bowl in warm place for five minutes.
• Combine egg, honey, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a deep bowl, mixing with a whisk. Add yeast mixture, milk, and 4 Tblsp. of melted butter, mixing well. Stir in flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until mixture forms a stiff dough.
• Knead on a lightly floured surface for about five minutes, until smooth and elastic. Shape into bowl coated with butter. Cover with towel and allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about an hour.
• After dough has risen, spread remaining butter over a 2 quart souffle dish or other 3 quart dish at least 3 inches deep. Punch dough down, knead again for another 2-3 minutes, shape into a round loaf and place it in dish to cover.
• Allow to rise another hour until it reaches the top rim of the dish. Bake at 300 degrees F for 50-60 minutes until top is crusty and golden brown. Turn bread out of pan and set on a rack to cool.