Blini with Sour Cream
Small, airy yeast pancakes made from buckwheat, classically served with sour cream and chives.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cook/bake time
- 20 min
- Total
- 1 hr 40 min
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 626 kcal
- Servings
- 4
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cooking & baking
- 20 min
- Resting
- 1 hr
Only 40 min of that is hands-on – the rest takes care of itself.
Small, airy yeast pancakes made from buckwheat, classically served with sour cream and chives. The yeast dough needs an hour to rise, which makes the blini porous and light inside instead of compact like normal pancakes. Served warm, they are the perfect base for everything from sour cream to smoked salmon.
Why this works
Buckwheat is not a grain and contains no gluten, so it cannot hold gas bubbles on its own. The wheat portion in the dough provides this structure, and the yeast fills it with carbon dioxide during the rising time. Baking powder would only release the gas in the pan where the dough is already setting. That is why a shortcut using baking powder stays compact, while the yeast dough rises to become porous.
Step-by-step instructions
- 1
Prepare the pre-dough
Mix the lukewarm milk with yeast and sugar and let the mixture stand for ten minutes until bubbles form. Then stir in both types of flour and the salt until a smooth, thick dough forms. The buckwheat gives the blini their typical nutty, slightly tart aroma.
- 2
Let rise
Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place for an hour until it has visibly risen and the surface forms bubbles. Exactly this yeast fermentation distinguishes blini from ordinary pancakes and makes them porous and fluffy inside.
- 3
Incorporate eggs
Stir the egg yolks and the melted butter into the risen dough. Beat the egg whites separately with a pinch of salt until stiff and gently fold them in in two portions without stirring. The incorporated air makes the blini particularly light and must not be stirred out again.
- 4
Fry
Heat a non-stick pan over medium heat and grease it thinly with butter. Add a good tablespoon of dough at a time to form circles of about 8 cm. Bake them for two minutes until the surface forms bubbles and becomes matte, turn them over and bake for another minute.
- 5
Serve warm
Stack the finished blini on a plate and cover them with a cloth to keep them warm and soft. Serve them with sour cream and chives, and add smoked salmon if you like. Blini taste best lukewarm and are traditionally eaten with your fingers.
Our best tips
- Do not skip the yeast rising time. Without it you will get small pancakes, but no blini.
- Fold in the egg whites right at the end and only work with the spatula, not with the mixer.
- Keep them small, about 8 cm. Blini are finger food and are not baked plate-sized.
Tasty variations
Only with wheat flour
Replace buckwheat completely with wheat flour, then the blini will be milder and lighter.
Sweet
Serve with sour cream, honey and berries, then they are also suitable as breakfast or dessert.
Nutrition facts
| Calories | 626 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 24 g |
| Carbohydrates | 62 g |
| – of which sugar | 9 g |
| Fat | 32 g |
| Fiber | 5 g |
Where the 626 kcal come from
per serving
Calculated from the ingredients – how we do it
We add up reference values for every ingredient and divide by the number of servings. These assumptions are baked in:
- Reference values per 100 g – for the raw ingredient, exactly as listed.
- Tinned goods count at drained weight, bone-in meat at purchase weight: you eat about 70 per cent of a chicken thigh and leave the rest.
- Water evaporates as you cook. The energy stays in the pot, the weight does not – so the figure is per serving, not per 100 g of finished dish.
- Anything listed without a quantity – “salt and pepper” – is not counted.
A guide value, not a lab measurement: no two onions weigh the same, and fat content varies from pack to pack.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference to pancakes?
Blini contain yeast and thus become porous and slightly sour. Normal pancakes are denser and are only leavened with egg.
Does it have to be buckwheat flour?
Traditionally yes, it gives the characteristic nutty taste. With pure wheat flour they become milder, but are still good.
Can I prepare blini in advance?
Yes, they can be baked a day ahead and reheated in the pan or in the oven. Freezing also works well.
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