Blini
Bliny (блины): thin yeasted Russian pancakes, part buckwheat, with butter and sour cream
RussianMaslenitsa, the week of butter before Lent, is when Russia makes blini by the stack: thin, lacy, slightly sour pancakes raised with yeast and fried one after another in a hot pan, each brushed with melted butter. Old Moscow recipes used buckwheat, and a share of it here gives a nutty, earthy flavour and a speckled grey-gold colour. Eat them folded into quarters with sour cream, jam, honey or condensed milk; red caviar is the festive classic, but this version stays vegetarian. The usual slip is a pan that is not hot enough, which makes thick, pale blini that stick; the first one is always a test. A splash of boiling water whisked in at the end gives the lacy holes. Chef's tip: stack the blini on a plate and cover with a bowl as you go; the steam keeps them soft and supple.
- Total time
- 120 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the batter
- 2 cups whole milkwarmed to 37 °C
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 5 ½ oz plain flour
- 3 ½ oz buckwheat flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 eggsseparated
- 1 ⅜ oz melted butter
- ½ cup boiling water
For frying and serving
- 2 tbsp sunflower oilfor the pan
- 1 ¾ oz buttermelted, for brushing
- 7 oz sour creamto serve
- 5 ½ oz berry jam (optional)to serve
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Method
0/9 doneStep 1: Whisk the ¼ oz fast-action dried yeast and 1 tbsp sugar into the 2 cups whole milk until dissolved, then whisk in the 5 ½ oz plain flour and 3 ½ oz buckwheat flour until smooth.
3 minStep 2: Cover and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes, until the batter has doubled and is covered in bubbles.
45 minStep 3: Whisk in the ½ tsp salt, egg yolks from the 2 eggs and the 1 ⅜ oz melted butter until smooth.
2 minStep 4: Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold them in gently. Cover and leave for 30 minutes, until bubbly again.
30 minStep 5: Whisk the ½ cup boiling water in quickly; the batter should be like pouring cream.
1 minStep 6: Heat a 22–24 cm frying pan over a medium-high heat and wipe it with a little 2 tbsp sunflower oil on a paper towel. Pour in a small ladle of batter and swirl to coat the base thinly.
1 minStep 7: Cook for 60–90 seconds, until the surface is set and full of holes and the edges are lacy and brown, then flip and cook for 30 seconds more.
2 minStep 8: Slide onto a plate, brush with the 1 ¾ oz butter and repeat with the rest of the batter, oiling the pan every few blini.
25 minStep 9: Serve warm, folded into quarters, with 7 oz sour cream and 5 ½ oz berry jam.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 11 g
- Carbs
- 44 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does blini take?
- About 120 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of fast-action dried yeast?
- Fresh yeast, three times the weight.
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