Kisra (Fermented Sorghum Flatbread)

Ingredients

• • 2 cups sorghum flour (or a 50/50 mix of sorghum and millet)
• • 3 cups warm water (plus extra as needed)
• • 1/2 tsp salt
• • 1 tbsp active sourdough starter or 2 tbsp natural yogurt (to kick-start fermentation)
• • A little neutral oil, for the griddle

Method

1. 1

   Day 1: Whisk the sorghum flour with the warm water, salt and starter/yogurt to a thin pourable batter — the consistency of pouring cream. Cover loosely with a clean cloth and leave to ferment at warm room temperature 24–48 hours, until it smells pleasantly sour and is full of small bubbles.

2. 2

   Whisk the batter again and thin to a single-cream consistency if it has thickened.

3. 3

   Heat a flat non-stick or cast-iron griddle on medium-high. Brush very lightly with oil.

4. 4

   Pour a small ladle of batter on the hot griddle and immediately use a flat scraper or the back of the ladle to spread it as thin as possible in a wide circle (the traditional tool is a 'gargaribah' wooden scraper).

5. 5

   Cook just 30–45 seconds, until the edges lift and the surface is dry — do not flip. Peel off in one sheet and stack under a cloth so the sheets stay soft.

6. 6

   Repeat with the remaining batter. Serve folded or rolled alongside daraba, sauce longue or maafé.