Obviously the variability potential for flavouring is huge. Here, caraway is used, but could be replaced with curries, cinnamon, orange zest, sesame etc etc. 

Baking Alternatives

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is ideal for thickening, but does not have a pleasant flavour. Too much corn starch in a liquid sauce will give a jelly-like consistency. In baking, corn starch often gives a more pleasant texture, but can give a very hard, dense consistency.

Rice flour

Rice flour is close to wheat flour in behaviour, taste, absorption, and thickening. However, it lacks any binding ability whatsoever, and works best when combined with other flours and starches in baked goods; delicate baked goods may fail if attempted with rice flour alone.

Sweet rice and white rice flour is finer than brown rice flour, although mills are now producing fine brown rice flours for the gluten-free market. Choose the finest grind possible for gluten-free baking; coarser grinds are slightly gritty.

Brown rice flour is a whole grain flour containing higher protein than the white rice flours, and imparts a pleasant heft to baked goods. Sweet white rice flour from a Chinese or Asian grocery is as fine and powdery as cornstarch, and behaves similarly in baked goods. Sweet rice flour can be used as a thickener in gravies. Brown rice flour also makes a good roux for cheese sauces, gumbos, or brown sauces.

Potato starch

Potato starch is a light starch that will rise with egg as the leavening agent. Allows lighter baked goods. Use is limited by the short shelf life of products made using this starch.

Potato flour

Potato flour is a pleasant thickener for gravies and can also be used in baked goods. Some bread recipes also use mashed potato flakes!

Xanthan Gum

A strong binding agent that is used to replace the “stretchy” quality inherent in gluten, xanthan gum is often added to gluten-free flour blends to promote an improved texture. Use sparingly in bread, cake and cookie recipes. Xanthan gum is the fermentation product of the bacteria Xanthomonas campestris.

Other binders

Xanthan gum is the most popular binding agent, but others can be used too. These include soya lethicin, guar gum, carageenan, carob (locust bean) gum and even gelatin. These agents are often used in combination with each other.

Tapioca starch

Tapioca starch is a thickening agent often used in Chinese foods and gum candies. This starch is derived from cassava (aka manioc) roots; it is the same tapioca as in tapioca pearls, or tapioca pudding. Best used in combination with other gluten-free flours.

Chickpea Flour

Flour made from chickpeas, a popular alternative to gluten flours. This flour is commonly used in Indian cooking and can often be found in Indian or Asian grocery stores, sometimes labelled “besan”. It has an unpleasant taste when raw but has a good approximation of wheat flour’s texture when cooked. Unfortunately, some may find that it promotes flatulence.

Sorghum Flour

Sorghum flour (also known as sweet sorghum or jowar) makes an excellent wheat flour substitute in quick-leavened baked goods such as muffins or banana bread. It is ground from the small, millet-like grains of the sorghum plant (used to make sorghum syrup). Sweet white sorghum flour is a pale pinkish-brown in color and has a pleasant, faintly sweet and grassy taste. It is best combined with a gluten-free starch such as cornstarch or tapioca and creates a fine crumb, good texture.

Skim Milk Powder

Gluten-free bread recipes often contain skim milk powder. It adds protein and also has beneficial effects on the end product. The casein in milk makes it a good emulsifier, and it makes for a finer crumb and better consistency. People who are allergic to dairy can try substituting soy milk powder, but the results will not be as good.

Soya flour

Soya flour is also often added to gluten-free bread recipes to add protein.

Basic Information Prep Time: 2 days Cook Time: Under 15 min Serves: 2 people Yield: Makes 2 cups Starter and the batter (uses only 1/4 cup of starter) makes about 4-6 injera. Using all the starter will make around 30 Injera Ingredients or the starter - Takes five days. If you want to have some starter left over to make injera again, wait seven days. /4 cup water, room temp. (70 degrees) /2 cup teff flour pinch active yeast (about 1/8 tsp) or the Injera /4 cup teff starter -3/4 cups water, at room temperature -3/4 cups teff flour /4 tsp salt Tips * although Apple pie, Patis and Pate mentions using wheat/white flour starter if making Injera for the first time, I went ahead with teff and I am not dissapointed.

Method

1 Let’s start with the starter first!

Day 1: ombine ingredients for the starter in a bowl.

2. Loosely cover the starter with the lid/cloth and ferment for two days on the counter or someplace that is about 70 degrees. You should see some rising in about four hours. Let alone for 2 days.

3. Day 3: tir the starter. This is when the stinker effect starts. The starter has a very yeasty and grassy smell. You will also notice that small bubbles on the surface now.

4. Feed the starter 1/3 cup teff flour and 1/2 cup water and loosely cover with the lid. Let alone for 2 days.

Day 5: tarter should have separated into distinct layers. You would think that something has gone wrong with it - what with watery layer on top and dense muddy flour at the bottom! But that’s exactly what we are looking for :) Stir starter, it should be slightly fizzy and have a very strong grassy aroma. Feed with 1/3 cup teff flour and 1/2 cup water. Loosely cover and allow to sit alone for at least 4 hours before using to make Injera. You should have about 2 cups of starter by now.

Note:

If you go to Day 7, follow Day 3 instructions for Day 5. You will have left over starter to make Injera again in the future this way. just realized that I have forgotten to take a picture of my day 5 starter! Guess that stink got to me! Now lets go to the Injera recipe (verbatim from this link) Uses only 1/4 cup of the starter. If you want to use all the 2 cups of the starter increase the flour, salt and water accordingly

Mix. Place the starter in a bowl. Pour the water over the starter and stir to dissolve.

5. Add the teff flour and mix until the batter is smooth. It will have the consistency of thin pancake batter.

6. Ferment. Cover and let stand for 5 to 6 hours at room temperature. Reserve 1/4 cup of the starter for the next batch.

7. Add the salt and stir to dissolve.

8. Heat a 10- or 12-inch skillet over medium heat (you’ll also need a tight-fitting lid). Using a paper towel, wipe the skillet with a thin layer of vegetable oil. Pour about 1/2 cup (for a 10-inch skillet) or 3/4 cup (for a 12-inch skillet) of batter in the center of the skillet.

9. Tilt and swirl the skillet immediately to coat evenly.

10. Let the bread cook for about 1 minute, just until holes start to form on the surface.

11. Cover the skillet with the lid to steam the injera.

12. Cook for about 3 minutes, just until the edges pullaway from the sides and the top is set.

13. The first 1-2 Injera’s might be a slight disaster - Don’t worry. The rest of them will be pillows! See 1 and 2 of mine down here? Sad :(

But from the next ones it will be amazing.Promise. You don’t have to turn the Injera. Just cook it on one side. It does not get the spongy texture immediately. But let it rest for 3-5 minutes and it suddenly gets that amazing texture. There is no muddy, bitter taste of Teff either. Serve it with any spicy dish. Spicy dish goes very well this. I served it with some hot tomato stew. Great for scooping the side dish!!