Pancakes everyday

Happy Pancake Day! Or Shrove Tuesday or Semla, to those of you celebrating around the world.

Putting aside any religious holidays, Fat Tuesday is just a wonderful excuse to indulge before indulging less… Kind of like New Year’s resolutions all over again, a re-do, if you want.

This is the simplest yet most delicious pancake blini recipe, to me, and no wonder, since this is the way my mom always made them. And they are just perfect for everyday.

Serve them with syrup, butter, jam, sour cream or something salty like salmon roe or caviar.

Note: This recipe uses kefir instead of buttermilk, but you can substitute in buttermilk, if desired or if it is easier to find.

Pancakes or blini

You’ll need:

• 2 cups kefir
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups AP flour
• 1/2 t baking soda
• 1.5 T sugar
• 1/2 t salt
• about 2 T oil (for pan)

1. In a bowl, whisk together eggs, salt and sugar until just frothy. Add most, but not all, of the kefir and mix to combine.
2. Sift together flour and baking soda and add them to the kefir mixture gradually, whisking to combine everything smoothly.
3. Set aside and let the batter sit for 15-20 minutes.
4. Heat up an oiled pan – a thin but sturdy crepe pan is great here. Use a soup ladle to pour the batter into the middle of the pan, tilting the pan to distribute it evenly. I prefer thinner blini-style pancakes, but you can make these as thick or thin as you like them.
5. Cook each pancake for about 1-2 minutes on one side, then flip and cook for another minute on the other until golden. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
6. Smother each pancakes with butter before stacking them.