Injera — äthiopisches Sauerteig-Fladenbrot
The soft, spongy sourdough flatbread at the heart of every Ethiopian and Eritrean meal: a naturally fermented teff batter poured onto a hot griddle and cooked on one side until it sets into a tangy, pliable, holey pancake. Injera is plate, utensil and bread all at once — you tear off pieces to scoop up stews (wot) and vegetables spread over a communal platter. Its slight sourness and airy 'eyes' come from days of wild fermentation.
Mix teff flour with water into a batter and let it ferment at room temperature for 2–4 days, stirring, until it's bubbly, risen and pleasantly sour (this wild fermentation is what makes injera). Stir the fermented batter, sometimes cooking a little into a hot 'absit' starter stirred back in, to a thin, pourable consistency. Pour it in a spiral onto a hot, dry griddle (mitad), cover, and cook on one side only — never flipped — until the surface is set, matte and covered in tiny 'eyes' (holes). Lift off the soft, spongy injera and cool.
- Ferment the teff batter for days until bubbly and sour — that tang and the holey 'eyes' define injera.
- Cook on one side only, covered, on a hot griddle — injera is never flipped.
- The bubbles ('eyes') across the surface show it's fermented and poured right.
Equipment
- Large bowl (to ferment)
- Wide non-stick pan or mitad griddle with lid
- Ladle
Zutaten
Batter
- 400 g teff flour (ideally, for authentic injera)
- 750 ml water (plus more to adjust)
- Pinch salt
Zubereitung
- SCHRITT01
Whisk the teff flour with water into a smooth, thin batter. Cover loosely and leave at room temperature to ferment for 2–4 days, stirring once a day, until bubbly, risen and smelling pleasantly sour. (A liquid forms on top — pour most of it off.)
- SCHRITT02
Stir the fermented batter and add water if needed to a thin, pourable consistency. (Traditionally a small amount is cooked with water into a thick 'absit' paste and stirred back in to improve texture.) Add a pinch of salt.
- SCHRITT03
Heat a wide non-stick pan or mitad over medium until hot. It should be dry (no oil) — wipe lightly if needed.
- SCHRITT04
Pour the batter onto the hot griddle in a thin spiral from the outside in (or inside out), covering the surface. Don't spread it with a tool.
- SCHRITT05
Cover with a lid and cook — without flipping — until the surface turns from glossy to matte and is covered in tiny holes ('eyes'), and the edges lift, 2–3 minutes. Slide the soft injera off to cool on a cloth. Repeat. Never flip injera.
Make ahead
The fermentation is itself a multi-day make-ahead process — plan 2–4 days ahead. You can keep a fermenting batter going and cook injera as needed. Cooked injera is best fresh but holds a day or two; many cooks make a big batch for a feast. Keep the batter as an ongoing sourdough culture if you make injera often.
Storage
Best the day it's made, soft and pliable. Stack cooled injera with cloth or parchment between and keep covered; it keeps a day or two at room temperature and firms up over time (use firmer injera to line platters or for ful). The fermented batter keeps in the fridge and can be topped up. Don't refrigerate finished injera uncovered, as it dries out.
Variations
Teff blend
Outside Ethiopia, teff is sometimes blended with wheat, barley or rice flour (note: blends with wheat are not gluten-free).
Quick (yeast) version
Some quicker recipes use a little yeast or a sourdough starter to speed fermentation, though traditional injera is wild-fermented over days.
Pure teff (gluten-free)
Made with 100% teff, injera is naturally gluten-free — use only teff flour to keep it so.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
Häufige Fragen
What is teff, and do I have to use it?
Teff is a tiny, nutritious ancient grain native to Ethiopia and Eritrea, and authentic injera is made from teff flour, which gives the characteristic flavour, colour and fermentation. It's naturally gluten-free. Outside the region, teff can be blended with wheat or other flours (which then isn't gluten-free), but 100% teff gives the most authentic — and gluten-free — injera.
Why does injera need to ferment for days?
The long wild fermentation (typically 2–4 days) is what gives injera its signature tangy, sour flavour and the bubbly structure that forms the 'eyes' (holes) across the surface. Naturally occurring yeasts and bacteria leaven and sour the batter over time. A shorter ferment gives a blander, denser result; patience produces the proper spongy, tangy injera.
Why is injera only cooked on one side?
Injera is poured thin and cooked, covered, on one side only — never flipped. The steam trapped under the lid cooks the top through, while the bubbles rising from the fermented batter create the characteristic holey 'eyes' on the surface. Flipping it would flatten those eyes and ruin the soft, spongy texture. The cooked side stays smooth; the eyed side faces up.
How do you eat injera?
It's the plate, the bread and the cutlery all in one. Injera is spread over a large communal platter, and stews (wot) like doro wat, lentils, shiro and vegetables are spooned on top. Everyone tears off pieces of injera with their right hand and uses them to scoop up the food — no utensils needed. Extra rolled injera is served alongside.
What are the 'eyes' on injera?
The 'eyes' are the small holes that form across the top surface as the fermented batter cooks and its bubbles rise and pop. They're the sign of a well-fermented batter and proper cooking, and they give injera its spongy texture and its ability to soak up sauces. A good injera is evenly covered in fine eyes.
Cooked this? Rate it.
Real ratings from real cooks. We only show a score once enough of you have weighed in — no fabricated stars.