True confession, sometimes kefir is a bit intense in flavor for me. My favorite way to use older or tangier kefir is as a buttermilk substitute. Turns out, so do Russians and others who consume kefir on a regular basis. In Russia, there are two types of pancakes – blini & oladi. Oladi are made using kefir as a leavening and boy does it make fluffy, flavorful pancakes!
The bacteria and yeast in the kefir feed on the flour and sugar while the batter is resting and create air pockets leading to light, fluffy pancakes that melt in your mouth. The tangier the milk kefir, the more savory and sour the pancake – ideal for serving with sweet fruit or maple syrup.
Sometimes we make a double batch and store extra pancakes in the freezer to defrost and heat later in the week. We have also noticed that the longer we leave the batter to ferment the fluffier the cake. Start with 30 minutes and if you can let it sit longer, see if you like that texture better.
We like to serve our pancakes with crème fraiche and syrup or strawberry jam. These are sturdy cakes that can hold a lot of toppings, so have fun!
Yield 6-8 pancakes
Supplies
- 1 cup of organic flour
- 1 cup of milk kefir – fresh or sour
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp salt
Recipe
- Add flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt to a large bowl.
- Stir or sift to combine evenly.
- Pour in milk kefir and stir into a semi lumpy but evenly mixed batter.
- Cover the bowl with a towel and set aside in a warm location for a minimum of 30 minutes up to overnight.
- Gently stir in the egg and vanilla mixing only until combined.
- Heat a well-oiled pan (we use ghee*) until drops of water sizzle on the surface.
- With a ¼ cup measure as a scoop, pour batter into pan. 2-3 pancakes may fit in the pan depending on size.
- air bubbles are visible as pancakes made with milk kefir cook on a hot pan
- CO2 manifests as air bubbles giving the pancakes a nice rise.
- When bubbles dot the surface of the cake, use a spatula to flip it over. The more you make, the more quickly the bottom may brown due to the butter.
- Add more ghee to the pan between batches as needed to prevent pancakes from sticking.
- Place pancakes in a warm oven (200ºF) and slather with butter until all are ready.
