Blinis - Small Yeast Pancakes

Blinis are small buckwheat fluffy pancakes, often used as a canapé and served with smoked salmon and caviar.
But you can eat them for Breakfast, made bigger with crispy grilled Parma ham and poached eggs with a light hollandaise sauce

Preparation time: 20-30 minutes plus proving time   Quantity: Makes 6-8 medium pancakes or 20 or so canapés   Cooking time: 4-8 minutes each blinis

Ingredients

3 tablespoons luke warm water
15g/ 1/2 oz fresh yeast or 14g dried yeast
45g/ 1&1/2 oz buckwheat flour
115g/ 4&1/2 oz plain flour -sieved

70 ml/ 1/8 pint lukewarm milk
2 small egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon caster sugar
115g/ 4 oz butter- melted
200 ml sour cream
2 small egg whites

Method

  • Mix the warm water with the yeast
  • Add the flours to a bowl and mix in the yeast mix
  • Cover with a damp tea towel
  • Leave to rise-somewhere warm - for around 20-30 minutes
  • Mix in everything else except the egg whites
  • Meanwhile whip up the egg whites to soft peaks
  • Gently stir the whites in to the Blinis mix, trying not to loose any air

To cook -

  • Either heat up a Blini pan with a touch of oil and butter, spoon in a 1cm layer, cook on a medium heat till cooked - flip over and cook other side
  • Or -cook teaspoonfuls in hot oil in a frying pan till golden on both sides