This blinchiki or blini recipe is a popular Russian dish widely consumed during the Maslenitsa festival. All kinds of sweet and savory fillings are possible. Don’t worry if the first few don’t turn out right; you’ll get the hang of it.
Blini (Russian Pancakes)
This blinchiki or blini recipe is a popular Russian dish widely consumed during the Maslenitsa festival. All kinds of sweet and savory fillings are possible. Don't worry if the first few don't turn out right; you'll get the hang of it.
Ingredients
- 4 ¼ cups milk
- 5 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon citric acid powder
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup boiling water
- ⅔ cup butter divided
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients.
- Beat together milk and eggs in a large bowl until combined.
- Beat in sugar and salt. Mix in baking soda and citric acid until incorporated.
- Blend in flour, a little at a time, until combined. Beat in oil. Pour in boiling water, stirring constantly, until batter is thin and watery. Let rest for about 20 minutes.
- Brush a small frying pan with 1 tablespoon melted butter 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 batter forms a circle and coats the bottom. The blini should be very thin.
- Return the pan to the heat. Cook blini for 90 seconds. Carefully lift up edge of blini to see if it’s fully cooked: edges will be golden and bottom surface should have brown spots.
- Flip blini over and cook for 1 minute more.
- Transfer blini to a plate lined with a clean kitchen towel.
- Continue cooking remaining batter, adding 1 tablespoon butter to the pan for every 4 blinis. Stack blinis and cover with another kitchen towel to keep warm.
- Spread desired filling in the center of each blini.
- Fold 3 times to make a triangle shape or fold up all 4 sides, like a small burrito.
Notes
You can fill blinis with berries, chocolate sauce, cooked ground meat, or mashed potatoes with onion.
