I got to know more about teff through Sean. He asked me if I had ever cooked with teff because he heard it is a nutrient-packed grain that has protein, iron, calcium, magnesium, and zinc. He reads a lot just like his dad.
I’ve never cooked with teff before. I have eaten teff that is in injera at Ethiopian restaurants. Injera is a spongy, pancake like flatbread made from teff flour that is used to serve as a plate to soak up all the flavorful sauces and as utensil for eating Ethiopian dishes. I heard from my Ethiopian friend Salem that it is not easy to make injera. I pleaded with her to teach me how to successfully make injera but I don’t think she thought I was serious. I’m still waiting for her to teach me.
Many months ago I ordered teff flour out of curiosity and followed the instructions on the back of the package to make teff porridge. The final product looked like brown mud and tasted like grainy, flavorless oatmeal. Sean tasted it and agreed. Consequently, I stashed the teff away in the darkest recess of my pantry thinking it would be a long while before I brought it back into the light again.
Then one day I was reading Vegetable Kingdom, a cookbook by James Beard Award-winning chef Bryant Terry. As usual I read every single recipe from cover to cover. My method of reading cookbooks (which some people think odd) proved rewarding in many ways because I found a recipe that used teff. The title, Scallion teff biscuits with mushroom gravy jumped out at me from page 63.
However, Chef Terry noted, “It’s a dish that requires a leisurely day to make and enjoy.” I can’t remember the last time I was home with a leisurely day so if it wasn’t for the fact that I had a bag of teff in my pantry and the willingness to give an obscure ingredient another try, I probably would have never attempted the recipe. Also, it helped that I just had really amazing biscuits in Chicago at Bang Bang Pies and Biscuits and was craving a homemade biscuit.
It turned out to be the best decision.
Since it was Tuesday, a busy workday for me, I decided to just make the biscuits without the scallions in them or the gravy that accompanies the biscuits. I also wanted to blend an ingredient that Sean brought to my attention with something Natalie loved to eat- her gran’s homemade strawberry jam.
Something magical always happen when I make something that is inspired by both my children. The biscuits, warm out of the oven, were crispy on the outside from the cold coconut oil hitting the 425 degree oven and tender inside. They tasted buttery even though there was not a trace of butter in them. The teff had given the biscuits a remarkable depth of taste and texture. With a slather of my mother-in-law’s strawberry jam on the fresh biscuits, they were extraordinary. If vegan tastes this good, I might be able to do it someday. I might. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten something vegan that made me feel so happy inside.
Make these biscuits and you’ll be overcome with joy too when you eat them straight from the oven with really good jam.
Teff Biscuit recipe (without scallions) from James Beard Award-winning chef Bryant Terry:
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I used King Arthur brand)
¾ cup teff
1 tablespoon raw cane sugar (I used light brown sugar because I didn’t have raw cane sugar)
2 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoons sea salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
7 tablespoons coconut oil, chilled for at least 15 minutes (I stuck mine in the freezer)
1 cup unsweetened oat milk (I used unsweetened almond milk because that was what I had)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, sift together the flours, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Whisk until well blended. Add the coconut oil and use two butter knives or your fingers to cut it into the flour until the mixture is the size of small peas.
- In a small bowl, stir together the almond milk and vinegar. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour in the almond milk mixture. Stir just until the dough comes away from the sides of the bowl.
- Use an ice cream scoop and scoop out 10-12 mounds of dough, with two inches between them, on the baking sheet, each 2 to 2 ½ inches in diameter. Bake until golden brown, 16-18 minutes.
