Dark, nutty buckwheat flour is the basis for bliniΓÇösmall, yeast-risen pancakes that serve as the traditional ΓÇ£breadΓÇ¥ for caviar and smoked fish in Russia and Ukraine. A version made from a combination of buckwheat and white flour is slightly more refined. Blini are particularly associated with Maslenitsa (literally ΓÇ£butter festivalΓÇ¥), the week preceding Lent, when they are eaten with melted butter, caviar or smoked fish, and smetnana (soured cream). This recipe will make large, stack-ΓÇÖem-up pancakes for breakfast or small blini that look like Swedish pancakes. For pancakes, ladle the batter onto a hot griddle; for blini, use a cast-iron platar, to produce perfectly round, beautifully browned cakes.
Combine in a saucepan:
1 1/2 cups milk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Heat until the butter is melted, then let cool to between 105┬░ and 115┬░F. Sprinkle with:
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
Let stand until the yeast is dissolved, about 5 minutes. Whisk together:
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup buckwheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 1 hour. When the batter has risen, you can make the pancakes immediately or refrigerate the covered bowl for up to 24 hours. If the batter is refrigerated, let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes before proceeding.
Stir to deflate the batter and whisk in:
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
Prepare and preheat your griddle or platar.
If you are using the platar, spoon about 2 tablespoons batter into each mold. Cook until the top of each blini is speckled with bubbles and some bubbles have popped, then turn and cook until the underside is lightly browned. (The easiest way to turn blini is to spear them with a thin skewer, nail, or knitting needle; you can also slip a narrow icing spatula under the cakes.) If youΓÇÖre making these on a griddle, spoon a scant 1/4 cup batter onto the griddle for each pancake, leaving room between the pancakes for spreading, and cook as directed above. Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200┬░F oven while you finish cooking the rest. Serve with:
Melted butter or caviar and sour cream or Crème Fraîche
