Ingredients
Check off ingredients as you go
For 15 large blinis
- 250g (2 cups) sifted flour
- 2 eggs
- 5g (1½ tsp) active dry yeast
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 300ml (1¼ cups) milk (or yogurt)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil or melted butter
Blinis are party essentials, perfect for appetizers and buffets. The difference from pancakes lies in the yeast used. For blinis, we use baker’s yeast, which gives a different fluffiness than pancakes made with baking powder.
You’d think that in a country like Israel, with over 1 million residents from Russia and neighboring countries, you’d find blinis in every supermarket, yet I’ve never seen them here. So here’s an easy and excellent recipe to make them at home.
Preparing the blini batter
In a large bowl, pour the milk and yeast, add the oil and flour while whisking to avoid lumps, then add the salt.
Separate the yolks from the whites. Add the yolks and set aside the whites until after the batter rests. You should get a smooth, thick batter. Let the batter rest 1½ to 2 hours at room temperature.
Once time has elapsed, beat the whites to stiff peaks, then fold in gently to keep the air. You should have a thick batter full of air bubbles.
Cooking the blinis
- In a small lightly oiled non-stick pan over fairly high heat (I use 6-7 on induction), pour a little batter depending on desired blini size, quickly adjust the shape with the back of a spoon so the blini is uniform. Don’t use too much as they puff up—as a guide, I use two-thirds of a ladle for large blinis. For mini versions, about 1 tablespoon is enough.
I like making large ones and serving them stacked in pairs as a main course with smoked fish and dill cream.
As soon as bubbles form (it’s quick), flip gently and continue cooking for a few seconds. Blinis generally have one fairly pale side and the other slightly more cooked. Don’t leave them too long or you’ll lose all the fluffiness.
Serve with salmon and perhaps a magnificent gravlax, sour cream, smoked fish, fish roe, dill, tarama, cucumber…
Here they are in both white flour and whole wheat flour versions
Tips
These blinis freeze perfectly! Don’t hesitate to double the quantities to always have some to pull from the freezer! Just let them thaw in the refrigerator then warm briefly in a pan or microwave—they’ll be like fresh!
When I double the proportions, I get 20 large and 20 small ones.
Beyond the classic salmon, fish roe, tarama, tuna rillettes and other smoked fish, for a vegetarian version you can serve them with tapenade, avocado, dill cucumbers, sliced beets, tzatziki…
For a dairy-free version, you can replace the milk with soy milk.
Blinis are also excellent made with a mix of white flour and whole wheat or buckwheat flour—you’ll just need to add a bit more water (or milk) so the batter isn’t too thick.
You can also make herb blinis by adding fresh chopped herbs to the batter (chives, dill…)