Saveur's Injera: Have you tried?

[sixelagogo]

After having experienced my most dismal culinary failure to date using the Flatbreads cookbook years ago whilst making Injera, I'm a bit spooked by trying it again (see post http://www.chowhound.com/topics/382320

)

Saveur's article looks do-able, but i'm wondering if anyone has tried it or, for that matter, any of the other ethiopian recipes in the mag.

[jdm]

I tried all of the recipes in that article and the bread is insanely easy to make and no, it doesn't taste quite right as there is no teff in it, but it was great with the doro wat.

[morphone]

Erm, it has no teff? Then it's not injera... Sam's right, it's just a pancake. ;)

[Sam Fujisaka]

Use teff flour, beer, and blah blah blah. Its just a pancake, after all.

[sixelagogo]

Sam:
Do you have a recipe that you've used to make it? It's the blahblahblah that i don't get, as all my previous attempts have ended in abject failure.. ..Hence, the post.

[Sam Fujisaka]

I don't really like injera, having eaten a lot of it in Ethiopia. We had an Ethiopian scientist here who brought back teff flour. We had a few lavish Ethiopian dinners over a few years. She had a complicated injera making routine. She thought I was nuts when I suggested half beer and half water for the liquid, some oil, and baking powder--basically a teff flour pancake. It worked! I can't remember proportions and would suggest experimenting wirh small batches.

[soupkitten]

true injera takes much more of a knack than a magazine or online recipe will imply. you need to cultivate your starter for one thing (i haven't looked at the saveur recipe). buy it. it's cheap.

[morphone]

traditional injera, with teff (and fenugreek, I believe) doesn't need starter - the traditional ingredients ferment on their own, giving it the sour taste. in fact, here in the states, it's difficult to make injera because the humidity causes the fermentation process to go bonkers, so we add wheat flour to calm the fermentation and give it a stretchy texture. if the saveur recipe doesn't have teff in it, don't bother... just buy it.

[jjones21]

This begs another question: assuming you don't live near an Ethiopian restaurant or market, where would you buy teff? Is there an online source?

[soupkitten]

do you have a health food store/co-op near you? i've also seen teff at some indian groceries. i also would look into buying frozen injera online, maybe.

Morphone-- are you sure? at least one commercial injera maker near me uses a starter for her dough.

[jsaimd]

Bob's Red Mill sells teff and it is available at Whole Foods and other health or natural foods store as well as albeit in bulk, Amazon.

I have made quick injera, since I cannot find any 100% teff premade injera. I can't compare it with the real stuff because I never have had it. I basically ferment teff with yeast for a long time (at least 24 hours in warm weather) and then bake. It turns spongey and a bit sour, and my kids and I like it, but who knows if it is like true injera.

[jjones21]

I looked at it and decided that, if I was going to be ambitious enough to try injera at home, I might as well use a recipe that actually includes teff. However, if you have had bad luck in the past, you might try the Saveur recipe as a starting point. If it works for you and you want to make it more authentic, you can always include some teff after you have the recipe worked out.

[Candy]

I looked at it with some interest, but I think it is more labor intensive than I have time for right now.