Blini (Russian Pancakes)

Widely popular Russian dish, especially eaten during the Maslenitsa festival in Russia. All kinds of fillings are possible–sweet or savory.

Step: 1

Beat together the milk and the eggs. Stir in the salt and the sugar and mix well. Add the baking soda and citric acid.

Step: 2

Blend in the flour. Add the vegetable oil and pour in the boiling water, stirring constantly. The batter should be very thin, almost watery. Set the bowl aside and let it rest for 20 minutes.

Step: 3

Melt a tablespoon of butter in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Pick the pan up off the heat. Pour in a ladleful of batter while you rotate your wrist, tilting the pan so the batter makes a circle and coats the bottom. The blini should be very thin.

Step: 4

Return the pan to the heat. Cook the blini for 90 seconds. Carefully lift up an edge of the blini to see if it’s fully cooked: the edges will be golden and it should have brown spots on the surface. Flip the blini over and cook the other side for 1 minute.

Step: 5

Transfer the blini to a plate lined with a clean kitchen towel. Continue cooking the blini, adding an additional tablespoon of butter to the pan after each 4 blini. Stack them on top of each other and cover with the kitchen towel to keep warm.

Step: 6

Spread your favorite filling in the center of the blini, and fold three times to make a triangle shape. You can also fold up all 4 sides, like a small burrito.

Per Serving: 525 calories; protein 14.4g; carbohydrates 57.1g; fat 26.4g; cholesterol 153.3mg; sodium 378.3mg.

The quality of the flour could make a real difference to your bread. Different brands do vary. Great taste or Canadian flours, which are naturally higher in gluten, may give you a best rise than standard bread flours – especially if you’re making wholemeal bread , which not always getting bigger as well as clear bread.

To made this in a breadmaker , add all the menus to your breadmaker and follow the manufacturer’s instructions.

A bread first rising can be make in the fridge 24 hours . This slows down the time it takes to rise to double its size, giving it a deeper flavour. It’s also a great timesaver , as you can start it night before , then finish it off the next day.