Blini Pancakes

These light and fluffy Russian pancakes are the perfect party food. Blini pancakes can be made and topped in advanced and stored until needed. They can be sweet or savoury and although traditionally made from buckwheat flour, wheat flour works just as well – our recipe combines both. Unlike regular pancakes, blinis are made with yeast rather than baking powder so they are softer and more delicate. Their thin and dainty texture makes them ideal to serve with champagne as hors d’oeuvres.

Dive straight to the recipe here.

Blini Pancakes Back in Time

Blini pancakes have a rich and ancient history. They are believed to have originated in pre-Christian Slavic cultures, where they were considered a symbol of the sun due to their round shape. According to history, blini pancakes were first made in the 9th century. They were mentioned in the Primary Chronicle, a collection of Russian historical texts and were said to be served at a feast held by Prince Vladimir of Kiev to celebrate his conversion to Christianity.

Since then Blini have evolved in Russian culture from a popular dish used to mark pagan and Christian festivals to a appitiser popular with the elite where they were topped with caviar, smoked salmon, sour cream and truffle shavings. The popularity of Blini pancakes has now spread across Europe where they can be found in discerning restaurants, social gatherings and in home kitchens.

What You Will Need:

• 1/2 cup Buckwheat
• 2/3 Cup Plain Flour
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Yeast
• 1 cup Milk
• 2 tbs Butter
• 1 Seperated Egg

How to Make Blini Pancakes:

In a large bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup buckwheat flour, 2/3 cup plain flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon yeast. Make a well in the center and pour in 1 cup warm milk, whisking until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl and let the batter rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

Enrich and rest the Batter. Stir 2 tablespoons melted butter and 1 egg yolk into the batter.

In a separate bowl, whisk 1 egg white until stiff, but not dry. Fold the whisked egg white into the batter. Cover the bowl and let the batter stand 20 minutes.

Pan-Fry the Blini. Heat butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Drop quarter-sized dollops of batter into the pan, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Cook for about 1 minute or until bubbles form in the mix as it cooks.

Turn and cook for about another 30 seconds.

Remove the finished blini onto a plate and cover them with a clean kitchen towel to keep warm. Add more butter to the pan and repeat the frying process with the remaining batter.

Toppings

There are endless ways that you can top you blinis, sweet or savoury, the choice is yours. Here’s some of out favourites:

• Smoked salmon and creme fraiche
• Crab/prawn salad and green onions
• Caviar
• Cream cheese and avocado
• Salsa verde
• Goats cheese and cranberry
• Shitake mushrooms and cucumber
• Beetroot and ricotta
• Walnuts with bananas and honey
• Whipped cream and fruit

A Mouthful of Deliciousness

In a nutshell, Blinis are mouthfulls of deliciousness. They are elegant and versatile to suit everyone’s tastes and can be vegetrain, pescatarian or vegan…as well as full blown carnivore. They are easy to make and quick to cook, great to rustle up in a hurry if guests drop by unexpectedly.