Ethiopian Lightly Spiced Bread

Ethiopians bake many kinds of breads. This bread is my favorite one.

Ingredients:

3 lbs all purpose flour or Semolina
½ oz or 1 tablespoon highly active dry yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ cup vegetable oil or corn oil
¼ teaspoon bishop weeds or ground coriander *
2 tablespoon awaze (mild red pepper paste)
¼ teaspoon garlic
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon cardamom (Korerima)*
½ teaspoon salt
Warm water (as required)

Preparation:

1st Step: Starter - Mix the yeast with one glass of warm water and wait until rises; or use sourdough starter;

2nd Step: Place the flour in a big bowl, add the yeast mixture and the baking powder; blend it with hand by adding the warm water gradually, until the dough is smooth and elastic; Keep it for 45 min. to rise;

3rd step: Combine, oil, awaze, cardamom, coriander or bishop weeds, salt, black pepper, garlic with 1 cup of warm water, blend the dough well with hand;

4th Step: Cover the bowl and allow rising until triple in bulk, (takes 45-60);

5th Step: After the dough has risen enough, transfer the dough to a deep baking round or square pan; spread the dough evenly on the pan;

6th Step: Allow to rise for another 15-25 minutes;

7th Step: Preheat oven, bake at 350 degree for 45-60 minutes. Use wooden stick to test if the bread is ready;

8th Step: When done, remove the bread from the baking pan and set on a rack to cool.

* You will find the spices mentioned here in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries

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Teff Injera (Ethiopian flat-thin bread)

Teff is tiny ancient grain grown in Ethiopia and Injera is mainly a product of Teff.

Ingredients:

4 ½ lbs (2kg) Teff flour
1 teaspoon dried yeast
water (as required)

Preparation:

1st Step: Starter - mix the yeast with one cup of warm water; keep until rises;

2nd Step: Meantime, sift the Teff into a big bowl, mix it by hand with cold water, or blend it lightly in a food processor; add the starter and mix it well;

3rd Step: Pour the dough in a medium tall container; add water generously; cover and set aside overnight to ferment;

4rd Step: The second day, discard the water from the dough; add fresh water to it generously and keep it outside for another 24 hours.

5th Step: The third day, discard the water from the dough;

6th Step: In a medium pot, boil 3 cups of water; add one cup of the fermented dough, mix it well with spatula for 10 minutes or until it is thick; mix it with the fermented dough; add water as required. It should be thinner than pancake dough.

7th Step: Preheat a flat large skillet or Ethiopian Injera pan (Mettade), leave it on low fire when baking, take ½ cup or less dough, pour it in circle starting from the edge. Bake it for 30 -40 seconds. As Injera is delicate, remove from the pan carefully, put it on a flat surface or a flat platter to cool; depending on the size of skillet, you may get 20 to 30 Injera.

8th Step: Serve it at room temperature. Keep it outside for a day or two. If need, put them in the fridge; microwave each Injera for 40 seconds before serving.

Note:

- Teff flour is available in health store or in Ethiopian groceries.
- Use the dried yeast as a starter only the first time you prepare the dough, otherwise you keep one cup fermented dough in the fridge to use it as a starter.
- If you prefer less sour Injera, you may bake the Injera 24 hours after your prepare the dough.

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Teff and Barley Injera (Ethiopian flat-thin bread)

Injera is mostly a product of teff flour. However, it is also prepared mixing teff with other grains such as barley, wheat, sorghum or rice.

Ingredients:

4 lbs teff flour *
1 lb barley flour
1 teaspoon dried yeast
1 cup self-rising flour
water (as required)

Preparation:

1st Step: Starter - mix the yeast with one cup of warm water; keep until rises; or use sourdough starter;

2nd Step: Combine in a large container the teff and barley flour with cold water or mix lightly in a blender;

3rd Step: Add the starter and mix it well; add water generously; cover it tight; keep it outside to ferment;

4rd Step: The second day, pour and discard the water; add same amount of fresh water to the dough; keep it tight;

5th Step: The third day, pour and discard the water; blend the self-rising flour with three cups of cold water; mix it with the fermented dough; add water as required. This time it should be thinner than pancake dough. Keep it outside for 15 minutes to rise;

6th Step: Warm a flat pancake pan, or skillet, or a specialized electric stove; pour the dough in circle shape in small amount; bake it for 30 -45 seconds.

7th Step: Depending on the size of skillet, you will get 20 to 30 injeras.

8th Step: If less sour taste preferred, bake it the second day.

* You may find teff flour in health store.

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/324696. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Rice and Sorghum Injera

My Ethiopian Cooking: Rice and Sorghum Injera (Ethiopian Flat thin bread)

We lived in West Africa where Teff was not available. But we were preparing Injera from rice and sorghum. We loved it as well as our family and friends who visited us. The process was tedious: washing the grains, drying and taking to the mill. However, once we prepared the flour, we were able to keep it in the fridge for longer period.

Ingredients:

4lbs rice flour
2lbs sorghum flour
2 cups self-rising flour
2 teaspoons dry yeast
2 gallons water or more

Preparation:

1st step: Starter - mix the yeast with one glass of warm water and wait until rises;

2nd step: In a large container mix Rice and Sorghum flour with water; or beat it lightly in a blender;

3rd Step: Add the starter and mix it well. Add water generously and cover it tight. Keep it outside to ferment.

4rd Step: The second day (only needs 14-16 hours) pour the fermented water in container and set aside;

5th Step: Blend the self-raising with four cups of the fermented water and mix it with the dough. This time it should be thinner than pancake dough; keep it outside to rise for 30 minutes;

6th Step: Warm a flat pancake pan, or skillet, or a specialized electric stove and pour the dough in circle shape, each Injera bakes within 20 second even less.

P.S. Rice and sorghum dough ferment faster than Teff . Therefore, if not baked within a day, keep the dough in the fridge.

Serving 10-15 persons

For nutritional facts of this recipe please visit http://www.recipezaar.com/325192. For vitamin content please click on "Print Recipe" on aforementioned site.

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Ethiopian Whole Wheat Bread

My Ethiopian Cooking: Whole Wheat Bread (Yabisha Dabbo)

Ingredients

2 lbs Whole Wheat flour
½ oz or 1 tablespoon highly active dry yeast
1 tablespoon powder sugar (if desired)
¼ cup olive or vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon bishop weeds or ground coriander *
½ teaspoon Cinnamon powder
Salt to taste
8 cups warm water

1st Step: Starter - Mix the yeast with one glass of warm water and wait until rises; or use sourdough starter;

2nd step: Combine the yeast, coriander or bishop weeds, cinnamon, salt, sugar, oil with two cups of warm water in a large deep bowl; Mix well;

3rd Step; Add the flour to the yeast mixture. Blend it with hand by adding the warm water gradually, until the dough is smooth and elastic;

4th Step: Cover the bowl and allow rising until triple in bulk, (takes an hour or more);

5th Step: After dough has risen enough, transfer the dough to a deep baking round or square pan; Spread the dough evenly on the pan;

6th Step: Allow to rise for another 25-30 minutes;

7th Step: Bake at 350 degree for 45-60 minutes (the bread turns to golden brown);

8th Step: Remove the bread from the baking pan and set on a rack to cool.

* You will find these spices in Ethiopian or Indian shops/groceries

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