Pancake Recipe | Russian Blinis

Hey There!

So today is Shrove Tuesday, or as it's better known - pancake day!

It is the day we can all stop counting calories and let ourselves indulge in the deliciousness of this simple, multicultural dish. Whether you prefer them sweet or savoury (or both), this recipe will work for you.

I am Russian by origin, and in my country we don't have pancake day - we take it to a whole new level and celebrate pancake week. The celebration is is called Maslenitsa (butter week), and it originated from a pagan tradition of saying goodbye to Winter and saying hello to Spring. Anyway, like we need an excuse to have pancakes!

So I thought I'd share this recipe with you all - and let you come up with any toppings you could possibly with for! My personal favourites are condensed milk for a sweet option, or sour cream and smoked salmon for a savoury option (don't knock it till you try it!)

You will need:

1. 500 ml of milk
2. 3 eggs
3. 280 g of flour
4. 1-2 tbsp of sugar (I'd recommend 1 for the savoury options, and 2 for the sweet ones)
5. 1 tsp of salt
6. 3 tbsp vegetable oil
7. Butter (for coating the pancakes)
8. Any toppings you desire!

Method:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the eggs, sugar and salt. Mix until the eggs are beaten, but don't mix completely at this stage
2. Add about 200 ml of milk and mix it in
3. Add the flour and whisk it in
4. Add the remaining milk and mix through
5. Add the vegetable oil
6. Allow the mixture to stand for about 15-20 mins
7. Heat up your pan (preferably one with a heavy base) and cover it with a thin coat of vegetable oil. Tip: dip a clean sponge into some oil and use it to coat the pan. This will make sure you don't use up too much oil and distribute it evenly
8. Using a ladle, pour the mixture onto the pan and move the pan around slightly to allow the mixture to spread 
9. Cook until the edges have started to turn crispy, and then flip the pancake using a thin spatula
10. Allow it to cook a little longer, before placing it on a plate and coating it with some butter
11. Continue to do so until you've used up the mixture! Tip: to keep the pancakes warm, keep them in the oven preheated to 80-90℃

So that's it! I hope you guys enjoy making them! Let me know what you guys like to put on your pancakes in the comments. Happy pancake day!

Until next time, 

Sofia xx