Blini – Russian pancake recipe

Blini, of course, are Russian pancakes, but how do they differ from say French or American ones? The fact is that ‘blin’ just means pancake and they come in an astonishing assortment. Small, large, thin, thick, savoury, sweet, made with wheat, buckwheat, even oats, with yeast, without it, they’re all blini, folks. Each and every one of them is round, warm and made of batter. And they’re delicious. Here’s a simple recipe for melt-in-the mouth yeast blini.

500g plain flour (use strong if you like)
625ml milk
50g butter
3 eggs
25g yeast
1 heaped tsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Warm half the milk until warm, but not too hot to put your hand in, just how the yeast likes it. Take it off the heat. Dissolve the sugar in the milk and whisk in the yeast. Cover this and leave it for a few minutes, allowing the yeast to wake up. Pour this into a large warmed mixing bowl and, stirring, sift in enough of the flour to make a batter the consistency of yoghurt (or smetana for the purist!). Now leave this in a good warm place to rise, covered with a tea towel.

Warm places – If you leave it on the stove, ensure the bottom isn’t too hot, or it will cook. The airing cupboard can be a good place, or on a low stool beside a radiator, as long as it’s shielded from draughts. Generally speaking if the yeast is happy and rises quickly you get a better result for your efforts.

Once the mixture has risen to around double, separate the eggs. Heat the remaining milk, and melt the butter. Add the yolks, milk, butter and salt to the batter, along with the remaining flour. Stir this in well – you are releasing the sour gases produced by the yeast on the first rising. The batter now needs to rise once more in a warm place.

This kind of blin’ should be light and fluffy, and so benefits from any air in the batter at the time of cooking. To maximize this, you need to whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Ensure your whisking bowl is fat-free (essential when whisking egg white) by cleaning and drying it thoroughly, then running a slice of lemon over it. Carefully fold the egg white into the batter, using a knife or spatula. It needs to be mixed through evenly, but without losing too many bubbles on the way.

To cook: heat some butter or oil in a non-stick or heavy pan, until the fat is hot, but not smoking. Cook ladlefuls of the mix at a time, turning after a minute or when you see bubbles forming on the top. The trick is to keep the pan hot and cook the blini quickly. In Russia, just like anywhere else, the first one never turns out, so don’t panic!

The resulting blini are best served immediately, but can be stacked with greaseproof paper and kept in a low oven until required. Serve them with honey, smetana (sour cream), caviar, smoked salmon, mushrooms, or really whatever you like.

Priyatnogo Appetita!