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Somali

Canjeero

Vegetarian

Thin, spongy fermented pancakes cooked on one side only so the top is covered with tiny holes. The everyday Somali breakfast, eaten with ghee and sugar or alongside suqaar and tea.

Canjeero is a Somali bread from Somalia, ready in about 3 hours 40 minutes and made with all-purpose flour, cornmeal and dried yeast. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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No licensed photograph of this dish yet.

Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Rest
3 h
Total
3 h 40 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
253

Can ferment overnight for a tangier flavour.

Ingredients

4 servings (about 12 pancakes)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the flour, cornmeal (opens in a new tab), yeast, sugar (opens in a new tab) and salt with the water to a smooth, thin batter like single cream.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Cover and leave in a warm place for at least 3 hours, until bubbly and slightly sour-smelling.

    • 28°C · warm place

  3. Step 3

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the baking powder (opens in a new tab). Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and wipe with a little oil.

  4. Step 4

    Pour a ladle of batter into the centre and spread it outward in a spiral with the base of the ladle. Cook on one side only, without flipping, until the top is set and covered in holes.

    • 30 min
    • medium heat

    If no holes form, the batter needs longer to ferment or is too thick.

    Batter being spread in a hot pan
    How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Stack on a plate and serve warm with ghee (opens in a new tab), or with suqaar or a stew.

      A finished dish being plated
      How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

    About this dish

    Origin
    Somalia · Commonly attributedEaten in Somalia, Djibouti and Yemen (as lahoh); related to Ethiopian injera.Also popular in YemenMore food from Somalia
    Dish
    Breakfast · Breads & flatbreads
    Cooking method
    Fermented, Pan-fried
    Taste
    sour, mild
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-fat · DASH-style
    Without the optional extras: Vegan, Plant-based, Ovo-vegetarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Budget-friendly · Everyday
    Cook more with
    All-purpose flour · Cornmeal · Dried yeast · Sugar · Baking powder
    Techniques
    Pan-frying · Fermentation

    Allergens

    • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
    • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder
    • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, baking powder

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    253 kcal per serving

    Calculated

    1 serving ≈ 194 g · recipe makes 4

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 11%
    • Carbohydrate 81%
    • Fat 8%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy253 kcal130 kcal
    Protein6.7 g3.4 g
    Carbohydrate51.2 g26.4 g
    Net carbohydrate48.5 g25 g
    Sugars1.3 g0.7 g
    Added sugars1 g0.5 g
    Fibre2.6 g1.4 g
    Fat2.2 g1.1 g
    Saturated fat0.2 g0.1 g
    Trans fat——
    Cholesterol0 mg0 mg
    Sodium359 mg185 mg
    Salt equivalent0.9 g0.5 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    104 mg
    Calcium
    54 mg
    Iron
    2.9 mg
    Magnesium
    33 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    2 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    0 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    167 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: ghee.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Common mistakes

    • Flipping the pancake — canjeero is cooked on one side only.

    Serve with

    • Drizzle with ghee and sugar, or serve with suqaar, beans or liver and sweet spiced tea.

    Storage

    • Keep covered at room temperature for a day; refrigerate the batter up to 2 days.

    Reheating

    • Warm in a covered dry pan.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    Used in step 1

    Baker’s notes

    Customise in Bread & Bakery

    Timeline and readiness cues

    1. Mix and knead · about 10 min

      Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

    2. First rise (bulk) · about 3 h

      Bubbly on top, risen and smelling pleasantly sour.

    3. Bake · about 30 min

      Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

    4. Start to finish: about 3 h 40 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

    If something goes wrong

    • Pale crust

      Likely causes

      • Oven too cool
      • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
      • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

      What to do

      • Check the oven with a thermometer
      • Brush with egg wash or milk
      • Shorten the fermentation
    • Burnt bottom

      Likely causes

      • Tray too close to the heat
      • Dark tray absorbs more heat
      • Too much sugar in the dough

      What to do

      • Bake on the middle shelf
      • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
      • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
    • Tough or chewy flatbread

      Likely causes

      • Dough too stiff
      • Not rested
      • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

      What to do

      • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
      • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
      • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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