Table of Contents
What is Injera Made Of?
It is made with teff, a tiny, round grain that flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. While teff is high in nutrients, it contains almost no gluten.
This makes teff unsuitable for raising bread, yet injera still benefits from the unique qualities of yeast. A brief fermentation period gives it an airy, frothy texture as well as a slightly sour taste.
This is one of the meals that appears at every Ethiopian meal. It is a tangy, sour, spongy flatbread prepared from a fermented batter that resembles a crepe.
Is Injera Good for Stomach?
The unique nutritional properties of injera make it quite beneficial for digestive health. The teff grain used to make injera is high in fiber, which aids healthy digestion and prevents constipation.
The fermentation process injera goes through increases the bioavailability of nutrients like protein, iron, and calcium. The sourdough starter culture can also provide probiotics that are good for your gut microbiome. Injera’s spongy texture helps it absorb stomach acid and bile as well, acting as a buffer. Eating this Ethiopian flatbread regularly can certainly aid digestive health.
What Makes Injera Sour?
The mild sourdough flavor of injera comes from the fermentation process used to make the teff batter. First, a starter culture called ersho is made by combining teff flour and water and allowing the natural yeasts and bacteria to culture for several days. This ersho gives injera its tangy flavor.
The fungi and bacteria in the starter break down sugars into lactic and acetic acid during the fermentation, leading to the characteristic sourdough taste injera is known for.
How Long Before Injera Goes Bad?
For longer preservation, you can refrigerate for about a week, or freeze it for up to six months. When it begins to spoil, injera may develop mold, an off smell, or a sour taste. To extend its life, store it in an airtight container or ziplock bag, and if it’s been sitting out, consider reheating it to kill any potential bacteria before consumption.
Injera
Equipment
- A very large frying pan or griddle
Ingredients
- 500g of teff flour (or very fine Millet flour)
- 1 small packet of dry yeast
- Water
Instructions
- Mix the yeast together with 2 tbs of hot water in a glass
- Put 375 gram of the flour in a bowl and the glass of water and yeast to it.
- Add 500ml of cold water to the flour and mix the dough until very smooth Let the dough rest for at least one day
- Pour the remaining flour (125 gram) in another bowl.
- Boil 150ml of water and pour over the flour.
- Mix and let it stand 5 minutes.
- Now mix the dough of the previous day together with 165ml of cold water with the dough of today.
- Let it rest for about one hour Heat a nonstick griddle or large frying pan and pour a ladle of batter to form a very thin layer in the pan or on the griddle.
- Cover the pan or griddle when the first bubbles start to appear and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Now your Injera is ready and you can serve your delicious Ethiopian, Eritrean or Somalian food on your own homemade Injera.
