One-Day Injera (Ethiopian Flatbread)

In a large bowl, add flour and water. Stir well. Cover with a dish towel, and let sit undisturbed on kitchen counter for 24 hours.

After this period, batter should be slightly foamy. Whisk in salt and baking powder. (The batter will deflate as you stir.)

To cook injera, use a nonstick crepe pan or skillet. Moisten a paper towel with oil, and wipe the surface. Place pan over medium-high heat.

When pan is hot, use a spouted measuring cup to scoop ½–1 cup of batter, depending on pan size. Work quickly and carefully to pour batter evenly around pan. Starting at pan’s outside edge—going clockwise if you are right-handed or counterclockwise if you are left-handed—pour batter in a thin stream and in one continuous motion in a spiral formation, without overlapping, until you end at the very center. Although it’s not traditional, if using a crepe pan, swirl the pan if needed to evenly distribute batter.

Cook undisturbed until bubbles begin to form on the surface and batter begins to set. When about 75 percent of surface batter has changed color (45–90 seconds), cover pan with a large lid. (A glass lid is helpful, because it allows you to check doneness without uncovering.) Cook until edges of injera begin to curl, top is quite dry and injera has released from bottom of the pan, from 30–90 seconds. Do not flip the injera.

When cooked, use a long, thin spatula and a thin plate or piece of cardboard to transfer injera to a flat basket or a large plate lined with parchment paper without breaking.