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Russian

Buckwheat blini

Non-vegetarian

Блины · Bliny

Small, airy yeasted pancakes made with buckwheat and wheat flour, brushed with butter and topped with sour cream and smoked salmon or other savoury toppings.

Buckwheat blini is a Russian starter, ready in about 2 hours 10 minutes and made with buckwheat flour, milk and dried yeast. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.

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Prep
15 min
Cook
25 min
Rest
1 h 30 min
Total
2 h 10 min
Serves
6
Level
Intermediate
Calories
288

Ingredients

6 servings (about 30 blini)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) the yeast and sugar (opens in a new tab) into the warm milk (opens in a new tab), then whisk in both flours and the salt until smooth. Cover and leave in a warm place until bubbly and risen.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Whisk (opens in a new tab) in the egg (opens in a new tab) yolks and 2 tablespoons of the melted butter (opens in a new tab). Whisk the whites to soft peaks and fold in gently. Rest for 10 minutes.

    • 5 min

  3. Step 3

    Brush a frying pan with butter (opens in a new tab) and drop in tablespoons of batter. Cook until bubbles appear on top, then flip and cook for 30 seconds more.

  4. Step 4

    Stack the blini, brushing each with a little butter (opens in a new tab). Serve warm with sour cream (opens in a new tab), smoked salmon (opens in a new tab) and dill (opens in a new tab).

    • 2 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Russia · Well documentedBlini of many kinds are eaten across Russia and Ukraine, especially during the Maslenitsa festival.Also popular in UkraineMore food from Russia
Dish
Breakfast · Brunch · Snack · Appetizers & starters · Finger food · Breads & flatbreads
Cooking method
Pan-fried
Taste
earthy, buttery, sour, mild
Diet
Pescatarian · No nut ingredients
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free
Without the optional extras: Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), EggetarianWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Buckwheat flour · Milk · Dried yeast · Sugar · All-purpose flour · Egg
Techniques
Pan-frying

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom milk, butter, sour cream
  • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
  • Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom smoked salmon
  • Contains: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

288 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 155 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 14%
  • Carbohydrate 49%
  • Fat 37%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy288 kcal186 kcal
Protein10.1 g6.5 g
Carbohydrate36 g23.3 g
Net carbohydrate33.1 g21.4 g
Sugars5.7 g3.7 g
Added sugars0.7 g0.5 g
Fibre3 g1.9 g
Fat12.1 g7.8 g
Saturated fat6.6 g4.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol89 mg57 mg
Sodium312 mg201 mg
Salt equivalent0.8 g0.5 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
292 mg
Calcium
120 mg
Iron
2.2 mg
Magnesium
68 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
123 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
1.4 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
112 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: sour cream, smoked salmon, dill.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep blini warm wrapped in a tea towel in a low oven.

Common mistakes

  • Deflating the batter by stirring hard after folding in the whites — fold gently and don't stir again.
  • A pan that's too hot browns the blini before the bubbles appear.

Serve with

  • Top with sour cream and caviar, smoked fish, or honey and jam for a sweet version.

Food safety

  • Smoked salmon is not cooked: keep it refrigerated until serving and avoid it for pregnant people and the immunocompromised.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for 2 days or freeze for 1 month.

Reheating

  • Warm wrapped in foil in a low oven.

Variations

  • Thin blini (blinchiki): Large, thin, crêpe-like pancakes made without yeast, often rolled around sweet or savoury fillings.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 4

Baker’s notes

Customise in Bread & Bakery

Timeline and readiness cues

  1. Mix and knead · about 15 min

    Weigh everything. Knead until smooth and elastic: a small piece stretches thin enough to see light through (the windowpane test).

  2. First rise (bulk) · about 1 h 20 min

    About doubled, domed, jiggly, with bubbles on the sides. A floured finger poked in leaves a dent that fills slowly.

  3. Rest · about 10 min

    Covered so it doesn't dry out; relaxed dough rolls and shapes without springing back.

  4. Bake · about 25 min

    Deep golden; bread sounds hollow when tapped underneath, or reads 93–96 °C inside (enriched breads 88–90 °C).

  5. Start to finish: about 2 h 10 min. Times are a guide — warmth changes everything; follow the cues.

If something goes wrong

  • Dense, heavy loaf

    Likely causes

    • Under-kneaded (weak gluten)
    • Under-proofed
    • Old or dead yeast/starter
    • Too much wholegrain flour without extra water

    What to do

    • Knead to the windowpane stage
    • Proof by the poke test, not the clock
    • Test yeast in warm water with sugar; feed the starter and use it at its peak
    • Add 5–10% more water for wholegrain flours and give them a rest
  • Pale crust

    Likely causes

    • Oven too cool
    • Too little sugar or no milk/egg for browning
    • Over-fermented (yeast ate the sugars)

    What to do

    • Check the oven with a thermometer
    • Brush with egg wash or milk
    • Shorten the fermentation
  • Burnt bottom

    Likely causes

    • Tray too close to the heat
    • Dark tray absorbs more heat
    • Too much sugar in the dough

    What to do

    • Bake on the middle shelf
    • Double up trays or use a light-coloured one
    • Lower the temperature 10–15 °C and bake a little longer
  • Dough didn't rise

    Likely causes

    • Dead yeast (expired or killed by hot liquid)
    • Kitchen too cold
    • Salt in direct contact with fresh yeast
    • Starter not active

    What to do

    • Liquid should be lukewarm (no hotter than 40 °C)
    • Proof somewhere warm (an oven with just the light on)
    • Mix the salt into the flour, not onto the yeast
    • Feed the starter until it doubles in 4–8 hours
  • Tough or chewy flatbread

    Likely causes

    • Dough too stiff
    • Not rested
    • Cooked too slowly on too cool a pan

    What to do

    • Add water until the dough is soft and slightly tacky
    • Rest 20–30 minutes covered so the gluten relaxes
    • Cook on a very hot tawa or pan — quickly

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