SAEDNEWS: Blini are Russian pancakes served with cream, jam, or sometimes meat. Made from milk, flour, and eggs, they’re enjoyed at any meal. Russian cuisine offers tasty, high-quality dishes loved worldwide.
Blini is a type of pancake made from flour, prepared as thin layers folded together and cooked in oil. It can be served as an appetizer or a complete snack. Blini is a key symbol of Maslenitsa, the Slavic New Year festival celebrated by people in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, where families make homemade blini and share them with one another.
To make blini, you first need to prepare relatively thin crepes in a pan. A nonstick pan is recommended for best results. The ingredients required are eggs, milk, butter, flour, and salt. As you can see, this delicious dish doesn’t require many ingredients, and it can be prepared quickly. Unlike some pancakes, blini doesn’t need to rise, so baking powder is usually not added. However, if you prefer a fluffier batter, you can include a small amount of baking powder, though traditional blini is not puffy. The batter should be thin enough to pour and cook like a pancake. Blini is soft and delicate, making it widely enjoyed. It’s also a healthy and simple dish that can even be served at breakfast.
Below are the ingredients and step-by-step instructions to make blini. Adjust quantities according to the number of servings you want.
¼ cup buckwheat flour
¼ cup all-purpose flour
⅓ tsp baking powder
¾ cup milk
⅓ tsp yeast
1 egg (separated into yolk and white)
125 g butter
Sift the buckwheat flour, all-purpose flour, and baking powder into a large bowl.
In another bowl, mix the milk and yeast, then add the egg yolk.
Combine the liquid mixture with the flour and stir until smooth and soft.
Beat the egg white separately until soft, flexible peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg white into the flour mixture with a spatula to preserve its volume. (Tip: After initial foaming, beat the whites at high speed for three minutes until they resemble snow. When the bowl is inverted, the whites should not fall, and streaks from the whisk will remain. Peaks at the end should be prominent yet slightly curved — these are soft, flexible peaks.)
Heat butter in a pan. Pour a tablespoon of batter into the pan and spread it to form a thin pancake covering the surface. Cook until bubbles appear on top, then flip and cook the other side.
Fill blini with your choice of fillings, such as smoked salmon with cream cheese or strawberries with cream, and serve.
2 bunches dill
2 lemons
200 g sour cream
2 tsp butter
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup yogurt
2 eggs
½ tsp oil
1 cup buckwheat flour
Arugula as needed
400 g smoked salmon
Pepper as desired
Onion (for garnish)
Buckwheat flour is ideal for blini. It comes from the ground, fibrous fruit of the buckwheat plant, which is second only to rice in popularity in Russia due to its warm, easily digestible properties.
To prepare, sift buckwheat flour, baking powder, and salt into a bowl. Crack in the eggs, then add yogurt and melted butter. Mix until smooth and thick. Chop half of the dill and arugula finely and fold them into the batter.
Heat a wide, thin nonstick pan over low heat. Add a little oil to coat the pan, then spoon three heaping tablespoons of batter into the pan and spread evenly. Cook until bubbles form and the edges turn slightly golden. Carefully flip and cook the other side until golden and fluffy. Repeat with the remaining batter, adding oil each time.
For the dill sauce, mix sour cream with lemon juice, add the remaining dill, and season with salt and pepper.
Place smoked salmon fillets on the blini, top with dill sauce, and serve. You can roll the blini or leave them open. Garnish with the remaining arugula, sliced onions, and a wedge of lemon.
Blini are soft, delicate, and versatile, perfect for breakfast, brunch, or festive occasions. They combine simplicity with elegance, offering a delicious taste of Slavic culinary tradition.
