Blinis are mini pancakes that make perfect finger food for passing around at a party.
Top with dill creme fraiche and smoked salmon for a timeless, elegant canape that never fails to impress!
And the reason is simple: its a classic that everybody loves.
Stack of freshly made blinis. Notice the gold blini “ring” around the edge of the blini!
Its easy to make in large volume.
And it isnt hard to make at all.
Whats the difference between a pancake and blini, actually?
OK, time to clarify that blinis are more than just a mini form of your favourite breakfastpancake.
And blinis are not a breakfast item, they are used to make canapes / hors doeuvres.
They make great finger food because of their size.
Stack of freshly made blinis. Notice the gold blini “ring” around the edge of the blini!
Unlike regularpancakes, blinis are made with yeast rather than baking powder so they are softer and more delicate.
And blinis are made with buckwheat flour which gives it the signature slightly nutty flavour.
Read on to find out how!
Ingredients in blini
Heres what it’s crucial that you make traditional blini.
Want a no-yeast version?See the information box below!
Buckwheat flour This is what makes blini a blini instead of just a mini pancake!
Pictured: Buckwheat flour which gives blini the signature nutty flavour, and active dry yeast.
Its actually gluten-free and gives the blinis a distinctive nutty flavour.
If you skip it, your blinis will be pretty bland.
Find itin the baking aisle or health food aisle of grocery stores.
Plain flour(all-purpose flour) Just our everyday flour.
Buckwheat provides the flavour.
Milk Full fat ordinary cow milk.
Smoked salmon
Butter Just a small amount to add a touch of fat and flavour into the blini.
Egg This is what binds the blini together.
confirm its at room temperature so it combines easily with the other ingredients.
Homemadebeetroot cured salmonis even better than using smoked salmon for blini!
Active dry yeast is different toinstant yeast(also known as rapid yeast) which is sold in canisters.
without having to foam it up beforehand.
Examples infamousNo-Knead Crusty Artisan Bread,FocacciaandBrioche.
Salmon gravlaxis another homemade cured salmon recipe that’s a perfect (better!) alternative to smoked salmon
Plus, the blini ends up the right thickness and texture.
Can I use instant yeast?Yes you might!
The blini does end up a touch puffier but only people who really know blinis would notice.
The steps are more streamlined so Ive included directions in the recipe notes.
Can I make blini without yeast?
Yes, you’re able to!
The big upside is that its speedier to make because theres no batter rising time!
However, use 50/50 plain flour and buckwheat flour instead of just plain flour.
The blini is also not quite as soft due to using baking powder rather than yeast.
But the flavour is remarkably similar!
Ingredients for blini topping
As you might imagine, theres all sorts of topping possibilities for blinis.
But today, were going with a firm favourite smoked salmon with dill creme fraiche!
Smoked salmon
Smoked salmonis sold in packets pre-sliced into thin slices.
Smoked trout is also perfect to use here.
Homemade beetroot cured salmon or salmon gravlax would also be ideal!
They taste different to smoked salmon because they are not smoked.
And they have fresher flavours from the respective flavourings used.
Which means, yes, sour cream is a near perfect substitute and its more economical.
Sour cream just has a slightly less rich mouthfeel (because it has less fat).
To be 100% honest, I dont think most people could tell the difference.
Cream cheese This is a little thicker than creme fraiche so it prevents the mixture from becoming too runny.
We want it to be spreadable, like softened butter.
Dill Not a primary ingredient here, we just use 2 teaspoons of finely chopped dill.
So its not a deal killer if you cant find it.
Prevent screen from sleeping
Just leave it out, or substitute with chives or parsley.
Lemon juice For a touch of tang, we only use 1 teaspoon.
So like the dill, not a deal killer if you dont have fresh lemon.
Just use a vinegar instead.
How to make blinis
Were really just making mini pancakes here.
The trickiest part is pouring neat rounds.
But if yours come out wonky, who cares?
Once you pile on the toppings,no one will notice!
And it certainly doesnt affect the delicious-factor.
Activate yeast (ie foam it up)
First up, we need to activate the yeast.
This just means waking it up by mixing it with warm water.
Mix yeastwith warm water and sugar until mostly dissolved.
Some lumps floating on the surface is fine, it will self-dissolve.
This will help keep the mixture warm so the yeast becomes foamy.
Have another go, but if it still doesnt become foamy, its time to replace your yeast!
Foamy!This is what it looks like once the yeast is activated and makes the water foamy.
Dry ingredients Mix the buckwheat flour, plain flour, salt and remaining sugar in a bowl.
This helps keep the batter in a warm cosy environment to make it rise.
This is what it will look like.
And yes, excessive use of the word foamy in todays post has been noted!
Lets hope this is the end of it.
Cook blini
Weve got 35 of these little pancakes to cook.
But the good news is, they only take 1 1/2 minutes per batch!
Piping bagor jug Mix the batter to deflate and make it smooth.
The alternative to a piping bag is to use a pouring jug.
However, I find it easier to use a piping bag to make neat rounds.
This will form a round opening that is 4 mm (1/6) wide.
Cook 1 1/2 minutesPlace a large non stick pan over medium high heat.
Once hot, remove pan from stove, spray lightly with oil then return to stove.
REMOVE the pan away from the fire, spray, then safely return to the stove.
Pipe2.5 cm / 1 rounds so they spread to 4cm / 1.7.
Flip and cook the other side for 30 seconds.
Cool Transfer to a rack.
Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel (so the next batch wont be too brown).
Spray lightly with oil again, set over the stove then continue cooking blinis.
Ive included directions for making the batter the day before in the recipe notes.
Assemble blini
We are so tantalisingly close to finishing these delicious little morsels!
I know youre impatient (oh wait, is that just me??!
), but yo ensure your blinis are fully cool before assembling.
Otherwise the creamy dill spread will melt!
Dill creme fraiche Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until smooth.
This can be done ahead of time, even the day before.
Spreada little of the dill creme fraiche on a blini.
Smoked salmon Top with a small slice of smoked salmon, slightly coiled so it sits up prettily.
It is worrying how many of these I managed to inhale on one sitting when I filmed them.
Oh, and also when I photographed them (yes, a different batch).
Yes, Ive certainly had more than my fair share of blini in the past few weeks.
That these are so elegant and make me feel a little classy is an added bonus.
Its not often I share a canape like this.
So let me have this one!
No blini for Dozer!
