Mlyntsi (Blini) for Ukraine

The horrifying death and destruction of Ukraine by Russia continues, with high likelihood that war crimes against humanity are being committed by the Russians, including deliberate targeting of civilians.

To stand with Ukraine, if even in a very small way, the Bread Baking Babes are making Mlyntsi, Ukranian Blini, small buckwheat pancakes. A key element is melted butter on the cooked mlyntsi. This recipe is brought to you by Elizabeth of Blog from OUR Kitchen.

I used the commercial yeast recipe, mostly, although I had some nice sourdough starter on hand, so I added 1/4 cup of that for extra flavor. I adjusted the flour so that the mixture was the right thickness. Not only did these delicious morsels taste divine, but they smelled wonderful, too. The toasted buckwheat fragrance was lovely. Sweetie enjoyed his so much that he made some more after I sat down.

There is a bit of a story to go with these. Sweetie fell over and hit his head early in the morning March 30. It was unclear if he had passed out or had had a heart attack or some other medical emergency, so I called 911 and the paramedics took his vitals, found that he didn't remember falling, that he had been unconscious at least 10 minutes, but that he showed no sign of having a stroke or being in a dire situation medically when they arrived. At the hospital in the ER they did the usual labs, plus a sonogram, then admitted him and over the next few days did more lab work, more tests and finally decided that he had fainted, probably due to dehydration combined with low blood pressure from medication he no longer needed.

The reason that any of that goes with this recipe is that he had an appointment at 5 pm the day I made the batter, April 8th, with his GP for follow up and I forgot completely. I was ready to make these as appetizers with smoked salmon and sour cream at 5:30...but we had to leave before that and didn't get home until a bit after 6 pm. The batter was very much frothy and risen, although it sank a bit when I added the whipped egg whites. No way was this going to hold until tomorrow morning! So, I cooked some up, slathered it with melted plant-based 'butter' and served them for dinner with our cold shrimp and green salad. Totally delicious! Thank you Elizabeth for a great challenge. The next morning I added a bit of yeast, let the batter sit to revive, then made some more, which were even better. Sweetie made the final one...very big!...with the rest of the batter. Photo below.

Do consider becoming a Buddy dear reader. this is an easy recipe, no kneading required, and you'll get some really wonderful pancakes by making it. If you do, send the URL of your post, plus a photo and short description of your 'bake' to Elizabeth by April 29th for the round up and to get your Buddy Badge.

Be sure to also visit the sites of the other Bread Baking Babes to see what delights they have made. Below are both a recipe using commercial yeast and one using wild yeast (sourdough starter).

Mlyntsi (Blini)

commercial yeast | wild yeast
adapted from Darra Goldstein's recipe for Blini and Emilie Raffa's (The Clever Carrot) recipe for Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes

3 grams active dry yeast
2 Tbsp (30 grams) water at body temperature
1+1/4 cups (304 grams) milk [OR 70 grams instant milk powder + 300 grams water]
1/2 teaspoon (2 grams) sugar
6 Tbsp (23 grams) buckwheat flour
1.5 Tbsp (21 grams) butter
1 egg, separated
2 Tbsp (30 grams) plain 3% yoghurt
1/2 teaspoon (3 grams) salt
3/4 cups (94 grams) all-purpose flour
pinch baking soda

1.             In a small bowl, whisk yeast into body temperature water until it is the consistency of cream. Set aside briefly.

2.             In a medium size bowl, whisk together sugar, all but 1/4 cup of milk (or milk powder and water), buckwheat flour. Make sure the mixture is smooth; ie: no lumps. Whisk in the yeast mixture. Cover with a plate and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour. (In our cool kitchen, we use the oven with only the light turned on.)

3.             Melt butter and allow to cool a little before whisking it with the egg yolk and yoghurt. Stir this mixture into the buckwheat mixture, along with the remaining milk, the salt, and all-purpose flour. Again, make sure there are no lumps; you want this mixture to be smooth smooth smooth. Cover the bowl with a plate and allow to rise in a warm place for 2 hours.

4.             Whisk the egg white until stiff but not dry, then fold the fluffy egg white into the batter. Allow the batter to rest for 30 minutes more. If the batter seems thick, carefully add warm milk a very little at a time. Emilie Raffa says that "The texture should be thick, bubbly, and pourable".

5.             Heat a cast-iron pan. Run your fingers under cold water and flick the pan. If the water beads, the pan is at the right temperature. (If it lies there, the pan is too cool; if it disappears immediately in a puff of steam, the pan is too hot.)Brush the pan with butter. Use about 2 tablespoons of the batter for each blin. Darra Goldstein adds: "taking it from the top of the batter each time so that the rest doesn't fall". Swirl the pan to make a pancake that is about 5 inches in diameter.

"Cook the blin for just a few minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface, then turn and cook the other side until faintly browned. The blini are best served hot from the pan, but if they must be held, pile them in a deep dish, brushing each one with butter, and cover the top of the dish with a linen towel." - Darra Goldstein

...........................
When baking soda merges with the natural acids in the sourdough starter it tenderizes the texture (like buttermilk pancakes). So now you have light, fluffy and tender. [...] [T]he batter should be thick, bubbly and pourable. [...] You can actually "hear" it when you drag a spoon through the batter. It should drip down in slow, stretchy ribbons and not just plop into the pan.
- Emilie Raffa
.......................................

Wild Mlyntsi

[makes 10 6-inch pancakes]

ingredients based on Emilie Raffa's recipe:
LEAVENER
120 grams whole wheat flour
120 grams water
2 dessert spoons (about 30 grams) Jane Mason starter

Dough
DRY INGREDIENTS
125 grams unbleached all purpose flour
60 grams buckwheat flour
12 grams sugar
3 grams sea salt
5 grams baking soda
WET INGREDIENTS
all of the leavener from above (100% hydration and bubbly)
2 large eggs, separated
240 ml milk, plus more as needed
42 grams (3 Tbsp) melted unsalted butter, plus more to coat the skillet

1.             About 12 hours before mixing the batter, mix whole wheat flour, water, and starter from the fridge. Cover with a plate and leave at room temperature.

2.             Combine all the wet - except for the egg whites - and all the dry ingredients. Whisk well, cover with a plate and allow to rest a few moments.

3.             Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold them gently into the batter. Cover with a plate and allow to rest for about 30 minutes before cooking the pancakes. Emilie Raffa writes, "The texture should be thick, bubbly, and pourable. Add extra milk, 1 tbsp at a time, to thin out the texture if needed. Let the batter sit for at least 5 minutes to aerate; it should be nice and bubbly before using.

4.             Heat a cast-iron pan. Run your fingers under cold water and flick the pan. If the water beads, the pan is at the right temperature. (If it lies there, the pan is too cool; if it disappears immediately in a puff of steam, the pan is too hot.)Brush the pan with butter. Use about 2 tablespoons of the batter for each blin. Darra Goldstein adds: "taking it from the top of the batter each time so that the rest doesn't fall". Swirl the pan to make a pancake that is about 5 inches in diameter.

"Cook the blin for just a few minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface, then turn and cook the other side until faintly browned. The blini are best served hot from the pan, but if they must be held, pile them in a deep dish, brushing each one with butter, and cover the top of the dish with a linen towel." - Darra Goldstein

Sources:
Darra Goldstein, Russian Pancakes (Blini), A Taste of Russia, p.102 https://darragoldstein.com/russian-pancakes-blini/

Emilie Raffa, The Clever Carrot, How to Make Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes https://www.theclevercarrot.com/2020/05/homemade-fluffy-sourdough-pancakes/

Some variations in blini include:
 
• Adding ingredients to the blini batter, including apple, raisins, or even grated potato. Such types of blini are more common in Eastern Europe than in Russia,
• Blini served with butter, sour cream, fruit preserve (varenie), jam, honey, or caviar,
• Blini folded or rolled into a tube, then filled with different fillings like jam, fruit, minced meat, chicken, salmon, boiled eggs, or mushrooms,
• Blini made by frying chopped vegetables and pouring the batter over them.
- Chefin Dictionary | Blini, https://chefin.com.au/dictionary/blini/

·                     Information and Tools
» Darra Goldstein: Russian Pancakes (Blini)
» The Clever Carrot: How to Make Fluffy Sourdough Pancakes
» Food to Glow: Brilliant Blinis with Sweet and Savoury Toppings
» SAVEUR: Darra Goldstein's Blini, adapted from her recipe in "Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore", and made with an equal mix of buckwheat and all-purpose flours
»Tasting Table: Flour Guide - Everything you need to know about types of flour
» Gourmet Sleuth: Cooking Conversions Calculator
» Red Cross (International): Humanitarian crisis in Ukraine
» UNHCR: Ukraine Emergency