Blini (pancakes)

Hot Starters | Russian

Russian blini are both similar to and different from pancakes and crepes. Blini in Russia are considered one of the main national dishes. Russian blini are made with both yeast-fermented and unleavened dough, and are sometimes boiled in water or milk (boiled blini) before baking in a traditional Russian oven. In earlier times, all kinds of flour were used to prepare blini (buckwheat, oatmeal). Today wheat flour is mostly used for the dough. Blini is a traditional meal for Maslenitsa (Butter Week): they are believed to symbolize the spring sun. According to the ancient Russian tradition, blini are eaten with caviar: nowadays it is red salmon caviar unlike the previously used white caviar. Blini are also served with honey, sour cream, salted fish, jam (varenye), etc.

Ingredients

Milk - 1 cup
water - 1 cup
yeast powder - 6 g
salt - 1 pinch
sugar - 1,5 tbsp.
eggs - 2 pcs.
flour - 250 g
vegetable oil - 3 tbsp.

Preparation method (receipt)

Tepefy milk and water, pour into a bowl, add eggs, yeast, sugar (to taste) and salt. Stir thoroughly. Add flour. The dough should be like liquid sour cream. The amount of flour will depend on the quality of the flour itself and on the size of eggs. Stir and add vegetable oil. Stir everything well once again, cover the bowl of dough and put in a warm place for 1 hour. In an hour the dough will be covered with beautiful bubbles. Melt butter, which we will be used to brush the hot blini. Nor it’s time to fry blini. Oil the frying pan and pour in the dough; distribute the dough all over the frying pan. Once the edges get fried, turn the blin and fry on the other side. Put the cooked blin on a plate and brush with melted butter. Serve blini with sour cream, red caviar, salted fish, jam, honey, etc.

milk yeast powder salt sugar eggs flour vegetable oil