5 win-win pancake recipes

The tradition of baking pancakes on Maslenitsa is as strong as superstitions about black cats and women with empty buckets. I had to join her, as they say, to the fullest six months after the wedding - for some reason my husband looked extremely happy on a gloomy February day. When asked to share his joy, the betrothed dreamily drawled: “So tomorrow is Maslenitsa! Pancakes, jam, tea – mmmm!”

Well, guess three times who had to become a pancake expert in one evening - after all, the honored fairy of fried dough (mother-in-law) now lived 500 km from our nest.

Since then, many Maslenitsa have passed, and all the lumpy pancakes - both in the frying pan and in family life - are a thing of the past. During this time, I managed to experiment and can recommend you 5 excellent recipes. All of them are a little unusual, because many of you probably already know the traditional versions by heart. It's time to surprise your loved ones with something new!

Thin rice pancakes

Gluten has been scaring us for years, but I don’t want to pick up on this motive – we’ll leave it to the on-screen “experts.” The main advantage of such pancakes is that they turn out incredibly tender and tasty. Although, of course, if your diagnosis is celiac disease (gluten intolerance), adopting this recipe will be doubly useful.

Ingredients:

• rice flour – 200 g;
• boiled water – 250 ml (glass);
• milk – 250 ml (glass);
• eggs – 2 pcs.;
• corn starch – 1 tablespoon;
• vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons;
• sugar – 1.5–2 tablespoons;
• salt – 1 pinch;
• vanillin - to taste (I add 1 sachet).

Let's prepare it like this:

1. 1. Break 2 eggs into a bowl and beat lightly with a whisk.

1. 1. Pour rice flour into another bowl (you can sift it) and gradually, a little at a time, pour in first the eggs, then milk and water (you need to leave a quarter glass of water to dilute the starch). While adding liquid ingredients, stir the dough vigorously with a whisk.

1. 1. Add sugar, salt, vanillin and sunflower oil. Mix.

1. 1. We dilute corn starch in a small amount of cool water. We wait until all the lumps dissolve (help with a spoon), and pour the liquid into the dough. Mix thoroughly. That's it, you can fry!

While you're making this pancake recipe, your main job is to stir. All this is because of two ingredients (rice flour and starch) that just want to lie on the bottom. Before baking each new pancake, do not forget to swirl the whisk in the bowl of dough!

If you have a good pancake pan with a non-stick coating, you need to grease it with oil only before the first pancake (three drops is enough).

These pancakes are fried over medium heat. 1 pancake is 1 ladle of dough. Pour it out, quickly spread it over the bottom, tilting the pan back and forth, and turn it over after 30 seconds. We wait another 20 seconds, remove, grease with butter. Repeat the required number of times. And don't forget to stir!

Thick Japanese pancakes

You've probably tried fluffy pancakes in cafes or hotels - either pancakes or biscuits made from the most delicate dough. Do you know what these desserts are made from? From the same set of products as regular pancakes!

Ingredients:

• milk – 350 ml;
• flour – 250 g;
• vegetable oil – 4 tbsp. l.;
• sugar – 4 tbsp. l.;
• chicken eggs – 3 pcs.;
• salt - a pinch;
• vanillin - to taste.

If you are uncomfortable measuring grams and milliliters, use this as a guide: you will need exactly as much flour by volume as milk (a large glass).

Let's prepare it like this:

1. 1. We heat the milk - it should be at room temperature or a little warmer.
   2. Now you need to separate the whites from the yolks. Set the whites aside for now, and beat the yolks with sugar until almost white, dense foam.

1. 1. Continuing to beat, gradually add milk.

1. 1. Sift flour into the resulting mixture. First, just mix, then beat at low speed.
   2. Add vegetable oil and continue whisking.

1. 1. Place the frying pan on low heat until it heats up.
   2. Add a pinch of salt to the whites and beat until a fluffy foam forms (stop when the “peaks” left by the mixer hold together and do not spread).

1. 1. Add the whipped whites to the mixture with the yolks and carefully mix with a ladle from bottom to top (scraping the dough from the bottom and pouring it onto the white foam).

1. 1. For the first time, you can grease the frying pan with oil, but then it will not be useful. Pour out 1 ladle of batter and wait for bubbles to appear on the wet surface of the pancake.

1. 1. You can check by lifting it with a spatula - is it browned? If yes, then turn it over and “brown” the other side. Less than a minute passes - and the Japanese pancake is ready.

It is better to bake such “cakes” with a small diameter - up to 20 cm. You can stack them in the American style, generously pour syrup, sweet sauce or condensed milk on them and cut them like a cake.

Pancakes with milk and apple sauce

For some reason, many people forget that the filling can not only be wrapped in ready-made pancakes, but also added during the baking process. This is called a bake.There are endless options for roasting - it can be sweet and salty, raw and pre-fried. I suggest adding a caramelized apple to the main attribute of Maslenitsa - it will be delicious!

Ingredients:

• flour – 250 g;
• milk – 500 ml;
• chicken eggs – 3 pcs.;
• dry yeast – 1 tsp;
• sugar – 3 tbsp. l.;
• salt - a pinch;
• soda - on the tip of a knife;
• apples – 3–4 pcs.;
• butter – 50 g + a little more for frying;
• vanillin - optional;
• vegetable oil for frying.

Let's prepare it like this:

1. 1. Divide the milk into 2 equal parts, pouring them into different bowls.
   2. Beat 3 eggs into the first part, add salt and sugar, mix well until smooth. I use a blender with a whisk attachment.

1. 1. Sift the flour into another large bowl, add dry yeast and soda, mix.

1. 1. Add the liquid part to the dry part. Mix with a spoon or spatula until smooth. Leave for 45 minutes in a warm place.

1. 1. Remove the core and stem from the apples and cut into thin strips or cubes (no need to peel).

1. 1. Melt the butter in a hot frying pan and simmer the chopped apples in it for 10–15 minutes. You can add sugar.

1. 1. Melt 50 g butter.
   2. Pour melted butter and the remaining 250 ml of milk into the “rested” dough for 45 minutes. Set aside for another 15 minutes in the same warm place.

1. 1. Grease a hot frying pan with butter, spread apples evenly on the bottom (1-2 tablespoons) and fill it all with a portion of dough (1 ladle).
   2. When the edges begin to lag behind, check the degree of doneness by lifting the pancake with a spatula. If the bottom side is brown enough, turn it over. We bring it to readiness and move on to the next pancake.If the pan has a good non-stick coating, you will no longer need to grease it with oil.

Ready-made pancakes with apple sauce can be poured with liquid honey or supplemented with curd filling with raisins. But they are also very tasty on their own - you can just brew tea and invite everyone to the table.

Cheese pancakes with kefir

When the muse of healthy eating strikes me, for some reason I always make Greek salad. And when I make a Greek salad, 2/3 of a package of Feta cheese remains, which then has nowhere to put - I don’t want any more salad. A great way out is to use soft cheese for unusual pancakes. I won’t even describe how delicious it is - just try it yourself.

Ingredients:

• flour – 150 g;
• kefir – 180 ml;
• eggs – 3 pcs.;
• Feta cheese - 150 g;
• sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
• salt – 1 tsp;
• dill – 1 small bunch;
• garlic – 2 cloves;
• butter – 50 g;
• vegetable oil for frying.

Let's prepare it like this:

1. 1. Sift the flour into a large bowl, add salt and sugar, mix.

1. 1. Add 3 eggs to the dry mixture and mix.

1. 1. Pour kefir into the resulting viscous dough and mix again with a whisk.

1. 1. Melt 50 g of butter, add it to the pancake dough, mix.

1. 1. Finely chop the dill and garlic cloves (I always cut them in half first and remove the sprout if there is one). Garlic can be chopped not with a knife, but with a garlic press.
   2. Mash the feta with a fork in a separate bowl.

1. 1. Add dill, garlic and mashed cheese to the dough and mix.

1. 1. Heat the frying pan well and grease it with vegetable oil. Lay out a portion of dough. It will not spread on its own; you will have to help it with the bottom of the ladle.

1. 1. When the bottom side is browned, turn the pancake over and finish the job.You can always check readiness by lifting the edge of the pancake with a spatula - it will not tear.

We are used to the fact that for pancakes you can use sour kefir or kefir that has been sitting in the refrigerator for a long time, but for this recipe it is better to use fresh. There is no soda among the ingredients; there is no need to extinguish anything with acid. But there is another fermented milk product - Feta cheese with a very bright taste. Therefore, the taste of kefir should be soft and unobtrusive.

Custard pancakes with fermented baked milk

My husband calls these pancakes “heroic”, as they go well with the most satisfying salty fillings. They are prepared according to the usual algorithm, only the base of the dough is not milk, not kefir, or even whey, but a delicious, aromatic fermented baked milk. In my opinion, it’s a win-win option - everyone will like it!

Ingredients:

• Ryazhenka – 0.5 l;
• Water – 1 glass;
• Flour – 2 cups;
• Chicken eggs – 3 pcs.;
• Sugar – 5 tbsp. l.;
• Salt – 1 tsp;
• Baking powder – 1 tsp;
• Vegetable oil – 4 tbsp. l.

The amount of salt and sugar is a matter of taste. If you don't like sweet pancakes, add 1 tsp. sugar and half as much salt.

Let's prepare it like this:

1. 1. Break the eggs into a deep bowl, add sugar and salt. Beat until foam forms.

1. 1. Add fermented baked milk, mix well.

1. 1. While stirring the dough, gradually add the sifted flour (if you have a convenient sieve, you can sift it directly while adding it to the liquid ingredients). If lumps do form, you can “beat” them with an immersion blender.

1. 1. Boil a glass of water and add it to the dough in several approaches, while actively mixing it with a whisk. This is the brewing stage.

1. 1. Add a teaspoon of baking powder, mix thoroughly and leave for 15 minutes.

1. 1. Add vegetable oil and mix well again.

1. 1. Place a greased frying pan over high heat. When it warms up well, pour a ladle of dough onto it and vigorously tilt it to the sides, distributing the dough along the bottom.

1. 1. When the contour of the pancake begins to turn golden, check the readiness of the bottom side by lifting the edge with a spatula. If the bottom is already ruddy, half the job is done. Turn the pancake over and cook until done.

These pancakes bake quite quickly. From the specified amount of ingredients you will get about 20 pieces. As they bake, stack them on a large plate, brushing each new pancake with melted butter (it’s convenient to use a silicone brush for this). You can also sprinkle with sugar or grated hard cheese. Bon appetit!

What's inside?

If the delicious pancakes are ready, and you still have some energy left, it’s time to start filling. There are probably a million options.

Here are 5 random ideas I tested in my own kitchen:

• Filled with salmon and curd cheese.

Pancakes with red fish are a classic. If you have a piece of smoked or salted salmon in advance, the lunch will be simply royal. All you need is 300 g of salmon, the same amount of cottage cheese, a little Dijon mustard and lemon. Spread curd cheese and mustard on the pancake, sprinkle a portion of fish with lemon juice and wrap it all in an envelope or tube. Delicious!

• Filling with oyster mushrooms, vegetables and boiled egg.

Do you like mushrooms? I am very. That’s why I often wrap them in pancakes. I take oyster mushrooms, onions and carrots in a ratio of 3:2:1 and fry them in vegetable or butter (first the carrots go into the frying pan, after a couple of minutes - the onions, after another three minutes - the mushrooms).I simmer this mixture until cooked, and at this time finely chop a couple of boiled eggs. When the vegetables and mushrooms are ready, I mix them with eggs, salt and pepper - and the filling is ready.

• Filling for “julienne bags”.

I tell you, I just love mushrooms, so the third filling is also with them. If your pancakes are soft, thin and almost without holes, make julienne bags out of them! I warn you right away: the process is slow, and the dish, one might say, is festive.

How to cook julienne? In a frying pan, lightly fry a finely chopped onion, add also finely chopped chicken breast (500 grams), add salt and pepper, and simmer under the lid. When the meat turns white, add chopped medium-sized champignons (300 g) and cook until cooked - this will take 10-15 minutes. Now pour in half a glass of cream (preferably 23% fat), keep it on medium heat for 5 minutes.

Place a couple of spoons of julienne in the center of the pancake, sprinkle with grated cheese and carefully tie it in the form of a bag, using a “rope” of braided cheese. Looks great and tastes even better!

• Filling with nuts and rum

For those who want sweet pancakes, I offer an option for adults. Grind walnut kernels (100 grams), add a couple of tablespoons of rum and boiled condensed milk - as much as needed so that the filling does not disintegrate. After mixing the ingredients, hold them in a bowl to infuse them with the rum aroma. Instead of boiled condensed milk, you can use a quarter glass of milk and 4 tablespoons of sugar - you will get the filling according to the old Hungarian recipe.

• Sweet filling of cottage cheese, chocolate and peaches

Well, for dessert - an idea for true sweet tooths. This filling goes great with chocolate and buckwheat pancakes.You don’t have to bother here - we buy high-quality curd mass (can be filled with raisins, dried apricots, chocolate chips), a can of canned peaches and milk chocolate. Spread the sweet cottage cheese on the pancake, put a spoonful of peaches cut into small cubes on top and pour melted chocolate over it. We wrap it beautifully and serve it to the table. You can sprinkle with powdered sugar. An effective serving option is to roll the pancake into a roll and cut diagonally into portioned pieces.

Almost all fillings are suitable for both thin and thick pancakes. Plump pancakes can be folded in half, filled with something tasty and eaten like a sandwich, or stacked, coating each layer with a sweet filling.

So, now you have the best recipes for pancakes and incredibly tasty fillings. Try it, delight your family and friends with new tastes, and don’t forget to share your ideas and results in the comments. Bon appetit!