Kitcha is a traditional flatbread native to Ethiopia in East Africa. It is made from simple ingredients (flour, water and salt), and is cooked in a pan. It is a delicious bread that Ethiopians often eat for breakfast, often called chechebsa or Kita Fir Fir.
What is kitcha?
Kitcha (ቂቻ in Tigrinya, or ቂጣ in Amharic, kita), is a traditional unleavened flatbread typical of Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. It comes in the form of a thin pancake with characteristic black spots on the surface, which often appear during cooking.
This traditional Ethiopian flatbread is usually pan fried in clarified butter, which gives it a slightly crunchy outside and soft inside. It is best eaten lukewarm.
Kitcha is often eaten as a traditional Ethiopian breakfast, called chechebsa. It is torn into small pieces before mixing it with berbere and a spicy butter called niter kibbeh. The resulting mixture has a soft texture. For even more flavor, some people add cooked vegetables to this comforting dish. Ethiopian breakfast is often accompanied by hot coffee or tea.
Tips for successful kitcha
Although composed of simple ingredients, making kitcha can be tedious when kneading by hand, or if the dough is not elastic enough when rolling out.
Kneading the dough
The first tip for successful kitcha is kneading the dough.
Traditionally, in Africa, kitcha is kneaded by hand. It is a process that may seem rewarding to some, but can be messy and tiring.
Today, the use of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook works very well to reduce the kneading time. In addition, it often leads to better results. It takes about 25 minutes to knead the bread dough by hand, compared to 8-10 minutes with a mixer.
In addition, using a food processor increases the chances of good results, especially for those who have no previous baking experience, and have therefore never made bread dough.
Additionally, problems can arise when baking novices add too much extra flour to the recipe. This can compromise the texture of the bread, which will become heavy.
Shaping the flatbreads
This step is essential for a successful flatbread. Care must be taken that the gluten is activated gradually during kneading. It is this gluten that allows the dough to be sufficiently elastic and easy to handle. If the dough is not elastic enough, it will be difficult to form thin flatbreads, and the dough will tend to tear.
The kitcha must be rolled as thinly as possible, about ½ inch (3-4 mm thick). The work surface and rolling pin may be lightly floured before rolling out the dough. Care must be taken to not use too much flour, or else the bread will be heavy, and the dough will tear when rolled out.
Also, if too much flour is used on the countertop, the kitcha may shrink during cooking.
Another trick is to roll the flatbreads between two silicone mats. The shape of the kitcha will be more regular and easier to handle.
Kitcha
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups wheat flour , all purpose, sifted
- 1 cup lukewarm water (or more) at 97 F / 36°C
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter (ghee), divided into 4
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- Crêpe pan
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour and salt.
- Gradually add water, and mix until a smooth and elastic dough forms.
- Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Roll out each piece, and form circles approximately ¼ inch (3 to 4 mm) thick.
- Heat a crêpe pan over high heat, and add half a tablespoon of clarified butter.
- Place a circle of dough on the skillet, reduce the heat to medium and, using a fork, poke a few small holes all over the surface of the dough.
- Cook until each side is golden brown and crisp, and has a few brown spots.
- Repeat for the rest of the dough.
- Serve hot.
Video
Sources
As the founder of pastry food blog Les Trois Madeleines, Sarah-Eden reinvents glamorous desserts with original pastries. She enjoys discovering new blogs, interacting with food bloggers, and of course, she loves madeleines!
I think this is also similar with Fita bread. But anyways, this is good.
Im Ethiopian. No one calls it kitcha, they all call it keeta.
There are people who call it Kitcha, especially in Eritrea. This a shared recipe between both Eritrea and Ethiopia.