Injera [not Paleo]

In Ethiopia and Eritrea, injera is a staple food. It's a type of pancake, made from teff flour and is used to pick food off the plate .
Traditionally, injera takes about 7 days to make, since the dough needs to ferment before its cooked. Teff doesn't contain any gluten and can also be used to make breads or other baked goods.
Since teff flour is on the pricey side, most restaurants will use wheat flour, so always ask the waiter what type of flour is used.
About a week ago I had dinner at a popular Eritrean place here in Amsterdam, and wondered if injera would actually be ok every now and then in a paleo diet, but also if I could make injera at home.

Officially, since teff flour is a flour, it would not be considered paleo. But Mark Sisson's verdict is that it's one of the "better grains", so it's up to the individual to decide.

If you are looking to reduce starch in your diet, I would not recommend it, but if starch is not an issue, it's defenitely worth the try!

For my first attempt, I wanted to make it without the yeast, but next time I will add the yeast in to see the difference. The recipe below is the "quick version" (1 day)

1,5 cups teff flour
2 cups of water
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
coconut oil

Mix the water and teff well together in a bowl, cover the bowl with a towel or cloth, and let it rest in a quiet place at room temperature for about 1 day (I used my oven) Do not move the bowl.
When making the injera, heat oil in a pan, mix in the salt and baking powder an pour a large spoon of batter into the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and let cook for about 5 mins. Officially, you don't flip the injera, on the top it should form bubbles. However, I made a few cooked on 1 side and a few cooked on both sides.

Finished Injera

They came out a bit more hard than the traditional (with yeast) injera, and the taste is also not sour, but teff flour works really well for making these type of pancakes.
In my experience for example with coconut flour, it turns out more crumbly.
They are delicious when warm with a bit of butter melted on top!

Next, I will make them with yeast and let it fement longer, the fermentation process will also reduce the phytates in the batter.

For breakfast, topped with scrambled eggs :-)