Buckwheat Pancakes (Blini)
By America's Test KitchenPublished on January 27, 2022
Yield
Makes about 60 small pancakes
Ingredients
Before You Begin
To make eight larger-size blini pancakes, use an 8-inch nonstick skillet in step 3 and add 1/4 cup of the batter to the skillet at a time; the cooking times will be about the same. Try spreading these larger blini pancakes with jam and rolling them up crepe-style for breakfast or brunch. Buckwheat flour can be found in natural food stores and well-stocked supermarkets. A few traditional toppings for blini pancake include caviar, chopped smoked fish such as smoked salmon, and sour cream.
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, top with a wire rack, and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray; set aside.
- Whisk the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, milk, egg, and melted butter together. Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until just combined (do not overmix).
- Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a 12-inch nonstick skillet very lightly with melted butter; heat the skillet over medium heat. When the butter stops sizzling, add the batter in spots to the skillet using 1 scant tablespoon of batter per pancake (6 to 8 pancakes will fit at a time). Cook until large bubbles begin to appear, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes over and cook until golden on the second side, about 1 1/2 minutes longer.
- Transfer the pancakes to the prepared wire rack and keep warm, uncovered, in the oven. Repeat with additional butter and the remaining batter. Let cool slightly before topping and serving. (The pancakes can be frozen to for up to 1 week; let them cool to room temperature, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze. Thaw the frozen pancakes in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then spread out over a baking sheet, and warm in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes before serving.)
Yield
Makes about 60 small pancakesIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
We developed a recipe for silver dollar–size blini pancakes, called oladi. The small pancakes are topped with a spoonful of the same fillings and make an excellent hors d’oeuvre. While many blini pancakes are yeasted, we wanted a quicker version and found some recipes leavened with baking powder and baking soda. These were also favored by some of our tasters for their slightly sweet, less sour taste. In the West, buckwheat flour is associated with blini pancakes, but in Russia, buckwheat hasn’t always been available and regular wheat flour (all-purpose flour) is often used. Tasters liked the distinctive flavor buckwheat flour lends the blini pancakes, so we developed our recipe with a combination of buckwheat and all-purpose flours.
Before You Begin
To make eight larger-size blini pancakes, use an 8-inch nonstick skillet in step 3 and add 1/4 cup of the batter to the skillet at a time; the cooking times will be about the same. Try spreading these larger blini pancakes with jam and rolling them up crepe-style for breakfast or brunch. Buckwheat flour can be found in natural food stores and well-stocked supermarkets. A few traditional toppings for blini pancake include caviar, chopped smoked fish such as smoked salmon, and sour cream.
Instructions
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 200 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil, top with a wire rack, and spray the rack with vegetable oil spray; set aside.
- Whisk the flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda together in a medium bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, whisk the buttermilk, milk, egg, and melted butter together. Whisk the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture until just combined (do not overmix).
- Using a pastry brush, brush the bottom and sides of a 12-inch nonstick skillet very lightly with melted butter; heat the skillet over medium heat. When the butter stops sizzling, add the batter in spots to the skillet using 1 scant tablespoon of batter per pancake (6 to 8 pancakes will fit at a time). Cook until large bubbles begin to appear, 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Flip the pancakes over and cook until golden on the second side, about 1 1/2 minutes longer.
- Transfer the pancakes to the prepared wire rack and keep warm, uncovered, in the oven. Repeat with additional butter and the remaining batter. Let cool slightly before topping and serving. (The pancakes can be frozen to for up to 1 week; let them cool to room temperature, wrap them in plastic wrap, and freeze. Thaw the frozen pancakes in the refrigerator for 24 hours, then spread out over a baking sheet, and warm in a 350-degree oven for about 5 minutes before serving.)
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