Having made a wild yeast starter to try some of the breads in the new Peter Reinhart book Whole Grain Breads, I had a batch of starter just itching to foment some action!
Thumbing through the book, there is a section for some flatbreads and crackers, and I noticed a recipe for Injera, the Ethiopian flatbread that is used as an accompaniment for many of the saucy Ethiopian dishes. I had a small amount of teff flour that I had picked up at the health food store, thinking I would mix into whole grain bread. Seeing the recipe piqued my curiousity, so I thought I would try the Injera with all teff flour.
The flour itself is a different colour than whole wheat — slightly greyer, and much finer in texture. The recipe in the Reinhart book has you mix the wild yeast starter in with teff flour and water, and let stand to begin working. I did this last night. Mixing it up, it resembles a bad flax-seed smoothie!
After it had sat on the counter for about 4 hours or so, it was definitely showing signs of life! a couple of quick stirs, and it went into the fridge to rest overnight
Finally, I took it out of the fridge, and let it sit for about 45 minutes to take the chill off — still lots of bubblin’ action. To cook them up, I just used a nonstick frypan, poured in enough to cover the bottom of the pan, and cooked on one-side only until set on top. I was a bit dubious, but pressed on!
So here they are, all ready to eat. As I mentioned, I used all teff flour, which was a new venture for me. The “good” side of these (the one that will sop up the maximum amount of delicious sauce) is the one that is facing the pan — the underside of the breads. These were fun to cook up, and I am still fascinated by all the bubbly action going on. Having never made these before (but eaten versions of them), I was surprised to see that I got the texture right. They have an interesting, spongy texture, that is just perfect for sopping up sauce and gravy.
The versions that I have had, have not been all teff flour, but combined with wheat (at most, 50% teff). the tast of the all-teff injera is quite a bit different than those made with wheat — i was a bit surprised at just how different. Definitely grain-like taste, but much earthier flavour than wheat or even rye. The stronger taste would stand up well to the bold flavours of most Ethiopian dishes. I tried it with some fennel salad and leftover red pepper sauce.
There’s more starter in the fridge! Who knows where the next yeasty adventure will lead!