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Three colour grades, three pack sizes and two very different shelf lives — how to choose teff for injera and how long each form keeps.
Teff is a tiny grain — about 1.5 mm across, roughly the size of a poppy seed — and it is milled whole, bran and germ together. That is why teff flour is naturally gluten-free, and also why it does not keep forever: the germ oil that stays in the flour eventually turns rancid.
The grain sells in three colour grades. Ivory or white teff is the palest and gives the softest, mildest injera — the grade traditionally linked to the classic bread. Red or brown teff makes a darker, earthier injera, and the mixed grade blends the two for something in between.
For the softest injera the pale grades are the usual pick; the red grade's stronger flavour stands up well in porridge and darker breads. Any of the three ferments and bakes the same way, and the batter maths on the main page — 70-90 g of flour per 40 cm injera — applies to every grade.
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Pack sizes run from 1 kg and 5 kg retail bags up to 25 kg sacks. A 1 kg bag is the natural unit for a single six-person meal, which needs 600-900 g; households that bake weekly tend to move to the 5 kg bag, and the 25 kg sack only makes sense when injera is on the table most days.
Shelf life depends on the form you buy. Whole-grain teff keeps 6-12 months sealed in a cool, dry place. Stone-ground flour is best used within 3-6 months — after that the germ oil turns rancid and the off-flavour carries straight into the bread.
Whichever grade you choose, size the purchase to your baking rhythm rather than reaching for the biggest bag: a fresh 1 kg bag beats a fading 5 kg one. What happens to that flour once water goes in is covered on the fermentation page.
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