Ethiopian sourdough flatbread (Injera)

1. Mix the teff flour with 650 ml lukewarm water in a large glass bowl until smooth, cover with a cloth and leave to ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days until bubbly and pleasantly sour.

2. At the end of fermentation carefully pour off the dark liquid on top and stir the batter.

3. Cook 100 ml of the batter with the remaining 100 ml water in a small pan for 2-3 minutes, stirring, until thick (this is the absit), let it cool, then stir it back into the batter with the salt; thin with a little water to a thin pancake batter if needed and rest for 1 hour.

4. Heat a 25-30 cm non-stick frying pan over medium heat without oil.

5. Pour a ladle of batter thinly in a spiral from the outside in, and cover when holes appear on the surface; cook for 2-3 minutes without turning until the edges lift.

6. Slide onto a cloth and let cool; don't stack the hot flatbreads or they will stick together.

Tip: Injera is the staple bread of Ethiopia and Eritrea: it is both plate and cutlery, the wats are spooned onto it and picked up with torn-off pieces. Teff is a tiny gluten-free grain; you can replace it half and half with buckwheat flour and wheat flour, and a pinch of yeast speeds up the fermentation. The small holes (eyes) on the top are the sign of a successful injera.