Blini with Soured Cream

Method

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1. Warm the milk to blood temperature and whisk in the yeast and sugar. Leave 10 minutes until frothy.

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2. Whisk in both flours and the salt until smooth, then cover and prove in a warm place for 90 minutes until risen and bubbling.

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3. Whisk in the egg yolks and melted butter.

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4. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold them gently into the batter in two additions.

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5. Rest the batter 20 minutes — do not stir it again after this point.

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6. Heat a heavy frying pan or blini pan over medium heat and brush with butter.

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7. Drop tablespoons of batter to make 7 cm rounds, spaced apart.

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8. Cook 90 seconds until bubbles rise and burst across the surface and the edges look set.

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9. Flip and cook 60 seconds more until golden. Keep warm under a cloth while you cook the rest.

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10. Serve warm, topped with soured cream, smoked salmon, roe, dill and a squeeze of lemon.

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Chef’s Tips

• Fold the whites in last and treat the batter gently from then on. That air is your rise.
• Serve them warm, not hot from the pan and not cold. Under a cloth is the traditional holding method.
• For a milder pancake, shift the ratio towards plain flour; for a more assertive one, go the other way.

Pairing Suggestions

• Ice-cold vodka
• Soured cream and dill, always
• Smoked fish or, on a good day, caviar

Storage & Reheating

Best fresh. Keeps 2 days refrigerated and freezes 2 months, interleaved; reheat in a dry pan for 30 seconds a side.

Common questions

Nutritional Highlights

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.