I bought some kefir to make some tasty little cheddar biscuits and wanted to use up what I had left. Searching online, I found a number of recipes for kefir pancakes which sounded absolutely delicious. Pancakes are always a special treat on the weekends and these were a revelation!
Kefir is a tangy cultured milk that contains protein, calcium, and healthy probiotics. In other words, it’s really good for you. Kefir pancakes are tasty, have a beautiful texture and rise like no other pancakes I’ve had.
Because the batter is very thick (not pourable) you will scoop spoonfuls of the batter into the hot oil. I used a tablespoon which worked fine. You could also use a small cookie scoop.
These small, plump pancakes are known as oladi in Russia. Traditionally made with kefir, or sometimes buttermilk or yogurt, oladi are absolutely scrumptious. They have crispy edges (due to a generous amount of frying oil) and slightly chewy, fluffy interiors. They are small but tall pancakes.
I made a quick blueberry sauce for the oladi but they are equally delicious served with maple syrup, jam, or your favorite sweet topping.
Kefir Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce
2-4
servingsRecipe adapted from Vikalinka blog.
Recipe makes 12 small pancakes. The recipe can easily be doubled.
Ingredients
- Quick Blueberry Sauce
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Kefir Pancakes
1 cup plain kefir (I used full fat Green Valley kefir)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon all purpose flour (175g)
1/4 heaping teaspoon baking soda
Directions
- Combine blueberries, sugar, water and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Turn heat to medium and stir to dissolve the sugar. Bring to a gentle boil then turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove sauce to a bowl and let cool while you prepare the pancakes.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the kefir, egg, sugar and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients stirring to combine without over mixing. The batter will be very thick. Let the batter rest for 15 minutes without stirring. This will allow the kefir and baking soda to activate and become a bubbly thick batter. (Use the batter within 30 minutes after mixing to avoid loss of leavening).
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium heat with enough oil to generously cover the bottom of the pan (a bit less than 1/4-inch up the sides of the pan). Carefully place large spoonfuls (I use a tablespoon/soup spoon) of batter into the hot oil. You should be able to cook 6 pancakes at a time. You may also use a smaller pan and cook 3-4 at a time. Fry until deeply golden and batter has cooked halfway through, about 2-3 minutes. Taking care not to splash hot oil, flip the pancakes over and cook until pancakes are cooked through, about 1-2 minutes. The pancakes will puff up once flipped over. Lower heat if too hot to ensure the pancakes are completely cooked. Add additional oil if needed for the next batch.
- Serve pancakes with blueberry sauce or your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Since the batter is quite thick, resist making larger pancakes as they may not cook through by the time they are golden brown.