Injera (Ethiopian Sourdough Flatbread)

Ethiopia • Regional Dish • Bread

Injera (Ethiopian Sourdough Flatbread)

Injera is Ethiopia's tangy, spongy teff flatbread, made for scooping saucy stews and turning every meal into a shared feast.

Servings10
Prep Time15 min
Cook Time30 min
DifficultyModerate
Print Recipe

Instructions

  1. Whisk the teff flour and all-purpose flour or rice flour in a large glass or ceramic bowl. Add the lukewarm water and sourdough starter, if using. Whisk until smooth and thinner than pancake batter but slightly thicker than crepe batter.
  2. Cover the bowl loosely with a clean towel or lid set slightly ajar. Let the batter ferment at room temperature for 24–48 hours, depending on the warmth of your kitchen. It should smell pleasantly tangy and show small bubbles on the surface. If your kitchen is cool or you want a more reliable first batch, whisk in the yeast at the beginning.
  3. When the batter has fermented, gently pour off any dark liquid that has collected on top, but don’t panic if there’s only a little. Stir the batter well. It should pour easily in a thin stream. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if it feels too thick.
  4. Stir in the salt. If the batter looks flat and inactive, whisk in the baking powder just before cooking. Let it rest for 10 minutes while you heat the pan.
  5. Heat a large nonstick skillet, crepe pan or mitad-style griddle over medium heat. The pan is ready when a drop of water sizzles lightly, not violently. Wipe with only a thin film of oil if your pan needs it.
  6. Pour about 1/3 cup batter into the pan, starting around the outside edge and spiraling toward the center. Tilt gently if needed to create a thin, even round.
  7. Cook uncovered for 30–45 seconds, until tiny holes begin to appear across the surface. Once the surface is mostly covered with bubbles, cover the pan and steam-cook for 1 1/2–2 minutes. Do not flip. Injera cooks on one side only because, apparently, one-sided relationships can work in bread.
  8. When the top looks set and the edges begin to lift slightly, slide the injera onto a clean towel or plate. Let it cool uncovered for a minute before stacking, so it does not become gummy.
  9. Repeat with the remaining batter, adjusting the heat as needed. If the injera browns too much underneath before the top sets, lower the heat slightly. If it stays pale and sticky, raise the heat a little.
  10. Serve warm or at room temperature with doro wat, misir wat, gomen or other Ethiopian stews and vegetables.

Cultural Context

Injera is the heart of Ethiopian cooking. It's the foundation for meals built around stews, lentils, greens and spiced vegetables, often served together on a wide platter. Diners tear pieces by hand and use them to scoop up the food, so the bread becomes part of the meal's rhythm.

Traditional injera is made with teff, a tiny grain native to the Horn of Africa with a naturally nutty, earthy flavor. The fermentation gives injera its gentle tang and signature bubbles, called "eyes," which help it hold sauces like a culinary sponge with better manners.

Good injera should be soft, flexible and slightly sour, with enough structure to scoop a fiery stew without surrendering halfway to your shirt.

Fun Fact

Teff is one of the world's smallest grains, but it plays a giant role in Ethiopian food culture. Its flour gives injera its distinctive flavor and tender texture, proving once again that tiny ingredients love making big dramatic entrances.

Cook’s Tip

For the most traditional flavor, use all teff flour and skip the wheat or rice flour. The blend here makes the batter easier to handle for home cooks while keeping teff as the main flavor. Rice flour keeps the recipe gluten-free if your starter is gluten-free and your kitchen avoids cross-contact.

Fermentation time depends on temperature. A warm kitchen may produce tangy, bubbly batter in 24 hours, while a cooler kitchen may need closer to 48 hours. The aroma should be sour and earthy, not rotten or moldy. Discard the batter if you see fuzzy mold or smell anything harsh and unpleasant.

Trivia

Injera is traditionally cooked only on one side. The covered pan traps steam, setting the top while preserving the soft, spongy surface that makes it so good for scooping sauces.

More Ethiopia Recipes

Keep cooking Ethiopia

View all Ethiopia recipes →