Blinis – Delicious Russian Pancakes

I believe we all love pancakes, wether it is for breakfast, dessert or as a snack. Well today, after the various recipes for pancakes we have made, I will introduce you to the Russian pancake, known as the blinis. They can be eaten with either sweet or savoury filling.

The consistency of the blini is close to the french crêpes, that is to say quite thin. While looking up for pictures of blini you might find some thick pancakes-like ones, they are called Oladyi and the recipe differs slightly.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups (320 gr) of flour
  • 2 cups (500 mL) of milk
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of salt
  • 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, or olive oil

Preparation

In a large bowl put the eggs, milk, sugar and salt. Combine well. Little by little add the flour while constantly combining. Add the oil and stir again.

You can adjust the recipe with milk and flour to reach the right consistency. The batter must be runny but not as liquid-like as water or milk.

Pre-heat a non-stick pan (the usually best type of pan to spread the batter) and rub it with oil using a kitchen roll. Repeat the oiling process regularly between each blinis.

Scoop the batter in a ladle and pour it slowly in the middle of the pan while tilting the pan with your other hand so the batter spreads in the pan.

Remember just like the Russians say  “The first blin is a lump” (a phrase french people say as well “the first crêpe is always failed”). So use the first one as an experiment to see if you have the right consistency, if it’s too thick add milk, if it’s too runny add flour.

The blini must be thin  so if you scoop too much batter in your ladle don’t empty all of it.

Then cook on medium heat the blini on each side. Using a spatula you can check if the blini is cooked on one side.

Once done you can top the blini with any filling you wish for, sweet or savoury.

Enjoy!

 

 

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