Teff

[kabowman]

Teff: A small but mighty grain

Healthy kitchen

August 9, 2006

Teff is a tiny, round tan-colored grain crammed full of nutrition. It's the smallest grain in the world, measuring only 1/32 of an inch and taking 150 grains to weigh as much as one grain of wheat.

Although small in size, this miniscule whole grain provides enormous nutrition. Teff is an excellent source of amino acids, most notably lysine, which is usually lacking in other grain foods. This petite grain is also noted for its superior fiber, iron and calcium content. Teff has gained popularity in the whole foods and health foods industries as an alternative grain for persons with gluten sensitivity.

Historically limited to an Ethiopian flatbread or porridge, teff's culinary use is expanding. When baking, teff flour can replace a portion of the wheat flour, nuts or seeds called for in recipes. Teff can also be used as a thickener for soups, stews and gravies and can even be added to stir-fry and casseroles. The grain is sometimes germinated and the sprouts used in salads and on sandwiches.

Teff provides tough nutrition in a small package.

From the registered dietitians at Bloomington Hospital Community Health Education

[Canadian Karen]

Teff: A small but mighty grain

Healthy kitchen

August 9, 2006

Teff is a tiny, round tan-colored grain crammed full of nutrition. It's the smallest grain in the world, measuring only 1/32 of an inch and taking 150 grains to weigh as much as one grain of wheat.

Although small in size, this miniscule whole grain provides enormous nutrition. Teff is an excellent source of amino acids, most notably lysine, which is usually lacking in other grain foods. This petite grain is also noted for its superior fiber, iron and calcium content. Teff has gained popularity in the whole foods and health foods industries as an alternative grain for persons with gluten sensitivity.

Historically limited to an Ethiopian flatbread or porridge, teff's culinary use is expanding. When baking, teff flour can replace a portion of the wheat flour, nuts or seeds called for in recipes. Teff can also be used as a thickener for soups, stews and gravies and can even be added to stir-fry and casseroles. The grain is sometimes germinated and the sprouts used in salads and on sandwiches.

Teff provides tough nutrition in a small package.

From the registered dietitians at Bloomington Hospital Community Health Education

Cool! Never heard of it before - I'll have to keep an eye out for it.....

Thanks!

Karen'

[southgoingzax]

DO NOT EAT THIS!

As far as I can remember, Teff is an ancient type of wheat - I'll doublecheck to be sure, but I don't think it is gluten-free.

Zax

[tarnalberry]

DO NOT EAT THIS!

As far as I can remember, Teff is an ancient type of wheat - I'll doublecheck to be sure, but I don't think it is gluten-free.

Zax

It is not an ancient type of wheat, and it is gluten free.

[southgoingzax]

My fault...it's a grass, and safe to eat.

[lorka150]

teff is great. i make pancakes/bread/muffins with it and they taste somewhat like graham. it's a good alternative.

[evie]

teff is great. i make pancakes/bread/muffins with it and they taste somewhat like graham. it's a good alternative.

I have not seen it in (Health food stores) I have been in??

Graham flavor sounds good. Where do you shop? evie

[lorka150]

Hi Evie. I get Bob's Red Mill brand - if you have those around you.

[Lister]

lorka u ever have problems with cc from bobs red mill? i am neverise about the company since they package raw flower at the same facilitly, but they have so many gluten free cooking things i really want to trust them

[kbtoyssni]

lorka u ever have problems with cc from bobs red mill? i am neverise about the company since they package raw flower at the same facilitly, but they have so many gluten free cooking things i really want to trust them

Bob's Red Mill has a dedicated gluten-free part of their manufacturing plant. If the package says gluten-free, then it is made in this part of the plant. Most of their flours are gluten-free. Soy flour is not - it is made on a separate line from gluten flours, but they made are in the same building so Bob's will not guarantee it's gluten-free. I have never had any problems with their products that are labled gluten-free.

[queenofhearts]

teff is great. i make pancakes/bread/muffins with it and they taste somewhat like graham. it's a good alternative.

Wow, that's cool! I've only had it in injera, the Ethiopian bread, & that was before I was gluten-free so not really tuned in to its gluten-free status. I REALLY miss that graham flavor, so I'll definitely give it a go.

Leah

Do you use teff alone or mix it with other flours?

[lorka150]

kbtoyssni is correct, lister.

for six months i was consuming bob's red mill carob powder and ended up losing about 40lbs and was in the hospital - my levels were insane. little did i know, the carob powder (naturally gluten-free) was made in his gluten-containing facility.

however, everything that is slapped with 'gluten-free' i have never had a problem with. after that instance, i was aware of the two facilities... i didn't really know. i'm very sensitive and never have had an issue since.

[queenofhearts]

I was thinking about injera & out of curiosity looked up a recipe... sad to say it included all-purpose flour as well as teff. So if anyone was headed out to an Ethiopian restaurant, beware!

Leah

[hineini]

Teff is gluten-free. It's very very nutritious and tasty.

Injera, the ethiopian flat-bread that most Ethiopian and Eritrean food is served on/with, is made from teff. Traditionally, in Ethiopia, it is made ENTIRELY from teff and is therefore gluten-free.

However, I was very sad to find out from the owner of one of the yummy nearby Ethiopian joints, that in the US most injera is NOT GLUTEN-FREE. The reason, according to her, is that Ethiopia is very hilly and high-altitude, and the fermented teff that injera is made of will rise and become spongy on its own. In the US, which is lower altitude, she says it is necessary to add wheat OR buckwheat to it. She says most Ethiopian restaurants she knows of use multi-purpose (wheat) flour but it would definitely be possible with some other kind of (gluten-free) flour.

I am going to call all the Ethiopian restaurants around here and see if any use buckwheat instead of wheat flour.

I bought some teff flour from her, and she told me how to make a tortilla-like bread out of it that I can bring into the Ethiopian restaurant with me so I can eat it in place of the injera. She said it won't taste entirely the same, but it will be good. Basically you just combine the flour with water until it's a doughy consistency, then flatten it out and place it on a hot griddle (like a corn tortilla).

There are recipes out there for injera using buckwheat pancake mix (!) instead of teff, actually... Try googling it.

Also, apparently you can bake and cook with teff, there are recipes at Bob's Red Mill and other sites.

[queenofhearts]

WOW! I just made my first batch of teff muffins (I used the recipe on the Bob's bag with some modifications) & YUM! They really taste earthy & whole-wheaty & just what I was hoping for! I'm thrilled since I had really been missing that flavor. I'm going to experiment next with some yeast breads... I'll let you know how that goes.

Leah