[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":392},["ShallowReactive",2],{"recipe:blini":3,"recipe:country:russia":179},{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"pronunciation":8,"countrySlug":9,"emoji":10,"summary":11,"intro":12,"story":13,"whyThis":14,"tips":19,"substitutions":26,"variations":39,"serveWith":49,"storage":51,"faq":52,"equipment":68,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":78,"diet":80,"mainIngredients":83,"ingredients":89,"instructions":137,"nutrition":161,"images":167,"keywords":171,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"blini","Blini (Thin Yeast-Risen Russian Pancakes)","Блины","Bliny","blee-NEE","russia","🥞","Large, lacy pancakes raised with yeast rather than baking powder, cooked thin on a hot buttered pan and eaten by the pile with sour cream, jam, salted fish or caviar.","Russian blini are wide, thin pancakes leavened with yeast, which is what separates them from every other pancake on a breakfast table. The batter is left to rise for an hour or two, and the fermentation gives them a faint sourness and a network of small holes that makes each one look like lace against the light. They are cooked one at a time in a hot buttered pan, stacked in a tall pile as they come off, and eaten with whatever the household has: melted butter and sour cream at the plainest, jam or honey for a sweet plate, salted herring, smoked salmon or caviar for a serious one. They are flexible, forgiving after the first one, and the first one is always sacrificed.","Blini are old. Some form of flat, round yeast-raised cake made from whatever grain was available — buckwheat, oat, millet, rye — was being eaten in the Slavic lands long before wheat flour became standard, and buckwheat blini remained the classic in Russia well into the nineteenth century. Their round shape and their association with the end of winter have led to the widespread claim that they were originally a sun symbol; ethnographers disagree about how firmly that can be established, so it is better treated as a persistent folk explanation than as a settled fact.\n\nWhat is not in doubt is Maslenitsa, the week before the start of Orthodox Lent, which in Russia is effectively a blini festival. Meat is already off the table but butter, eggs and dairy are not, so the week is spent eating pancakes in enormous quantities with every possible topping before the fast begins. Each day of the week has its own traditional business, families visit each other, and the week ends with the burning of a straw effigy of winter. Blini also mark the other end of life: they are a standard food at Orthodox memorial meals, which gives a simple pancake a range of meaning most foods never acquire.\n\nA note on names, because it causes constant confusion. Russian blini are thin and large, the size of the pan. Blinchiki are the unleavened crêpe-style version, usually rolled around a filling. The small thick discs sold as blini in Western supermarkets, topped with a dot of sour cream and caviar, are a canapé format that developed abroad — perfectly nice, but not what a Russian means by the word. This recipe makes the full-size yeasted kind.",[15,16,17,18],"A real yeasted batter with a proper rise, which is what gives blini their lacy holes and gentle sourness.","Boiling water whisked in at the end, an old trick that thins the batter and sets the edges into lace.","Clear pan management, including what the first failed pancake tells you about your heat.","Savory and sweet serving traditions given side by side, since blini are eaten both ways in the same meal.",[20,21,22,23,24,25],"Use lukewarm milk, around 35 °C. Hot milk kills the yeast and cold milk makes the rise take twice as long.","The finished batter should be as thin as single cream. If it coats the back of a spoon thickly, add milk a splash at a time.","Never stir the risen batter down hard. Fold it gently once and ladle straight from the bowl, or you lose the bubbles you waited for.","The first blin is always a write-off; it tells you whether the pan is hot enough. Eat it standing at the stove and adjust.","Grease the pan with half a potato or a piece of salted pork fat dipped in oil rather than pouring oil in — you want a film, not a pool.","Stack the pancakes as they come off and brush each with melted butter; the pile steams itself soft and stays warm for twenty minutes.",[27,31,35],{"original":28,"swap":29,"note":30},"Plain wheat flour","Half wheat and half buckwheat flour","Buckwheat blini are the older Russian classic, darker and more assertive. Do not go beyond half buckwheat or they become fragile and hard to turn.",{"original":32,"swap":33,"note":34},"Fresh or dried yeast","Kefir plus 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda","This gives you fast pancakes with a similar tang but a different, cakier crumb. It is a legitimate everyday shortcut, not the traditional method.",{"original":36,"swap":37,"note":38},"Whole milk","Half milk, half water, or oat milk for a dairy-free batter","Diluting with water makes noticeably thinner, lacier blini, which some cooks prefer.",[40,43,46],{"name":41,"description":42},"Buckwheat blini","Made with half buckwheat flour, which was the standard version in Russia for centuries. Earthier and darker, and the traditional partner for salted fish and caviar.",{"name":44,"description":45},"Blinchiki","The unleavened crêpe version: no yeast, batter used immediately, cooked very thin and rolled around curd cheese, minced meat or jam, then fried in butter.",{"name":47,"description":48},"Blini with a baked-in filling","Scatter chopped scallion, fried mushrooms or crumbled egg onto the wet surface of each pancake right after ladling, so the filling sets into the batter as it cooks.",[50],"Melted butter and smetana as the baseline, then whatever the occasion calls for: sour cherry jam and honey on one plate, salted herring, smoked salmon or red caviar on another.","Blini keep 3 days refrigerated in a stack wrapped in foil or cling film. Reheat them in a dry pan for about 30 seconds a side, or in a low oven still wrapped, which keeps them supple. They freeze well for 2 months if you layer them with baking parchment before bagging, and thaw fast at room temperature. The batter itself does not keep well once risen — after about four hours it turns sour and slack, so make what you need and cook it all.",[53,56,59,62,65],{"question":54,"answer":55},"What is the difference between blini and blinchiki?","Blini are raised with yeast, need an hour or two of rising time, and come out with a faint sourness and a lacy, hole-filled surface. Blinchiki are unleavened crêpes made from a batter you can use immediately, thinner and smoother, and they are usually rolled around a filling such as curd cheese or minced meat and then fried in butter.",{"question":57,"answer":58},"Why is my first pancake always ruined?","Because the pan has not yet reached a steady temperature and is either too cool or unevenly greased. This is so predictable that Russian has a proverb about it. Treat the first one as a test: if it sticks and tears, the pan is too cool; if it browns before the surface sets, it is too hot. Adjust and the second will be fine.",{"question":60,"answer":61},"Can I make blini without yeast?","Yes, using kefir or buttermilk with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda for lift, and the result is quick and tasty. It is a different pancake though: the crumb is cakier and the flavor tangier in a dairy way rather than a fermented one. For the traditional lacy texture and gentle sourness, yeast and time are the only route.",{"question":63,"answer":64},"Why do my blini tear when I flip them?","Usually the batter is too thin for the flour you are using, or you are flipping too early. Wait until the surface is dull and covered in set holes with no wet shine left, and until the edges lift away from the pan on their own. If they still tear, whisk a tablespoon of flour into the batter to strengthen it.",{"question":66,"answer":67},"What do Russians eat with blini?","Both sweet and savory, often in the same sitting. The baseline is melted butter and smetana, then jam, honey or condensed milk on the sweet side, and salted herring, smoked or salted salmon, red caviar, fried mushrooms or chopped egg on the savory side. During Maslenitsa week the whole spread appears at once and people work through it.",[69,70,71,72],"Large mixing bowl","22–24 cm non-stick or cast-iron pan","Ladle","Thin spatula",4,15,30,90,"medium",[79],"breakfast",[81,82],"vegetarian","nut-free",[84,85,86,87,88],"flour","milk","eggs","yeast","butter",[90,95,99,102,106,109,113,116,119,124,127,131,134],{"ref":85,"qty":91,"unit":92,"name":93,"group":94},500,"ml","whole milk, lukewarm","For the batter",{"ref":87,"qty":96,"unit":97,"name":98,"group":94},7,"g","instant dried yeast",{"ref":84,"qty":100,"unit":97,"name":101,"group":94},300,"plain flour",{"ref":86,"qty":103,"unit":104,"name":105,"group":94},2,"piece","eggs, separated",{"qty":103,"unit":107,"name":108,"group":94},"tbsp","sugar",{"qty":110,"unit":111,"name":112,"group":94},1,"tsp","fine salt",{"ref":88,"qty":114,"unit":97,"name":115,"group":94},50,"butter, melted and cooled",{"qty":117,"unit":92,"name":118,"group":94},150,"boiling water",{"ref":120,"qty":103,"unit":107,"name":121,"noScale":122,"group":123},"olive-oil","neutral oil, for greasing the pan",true,"For cooking",{"ref":88,"qty":114,"unit":97,"name":125,"group":126},"butter, melted, for brushing the stack","To serve",{"ref":128,"qty":129,"unit":97,"name":130,"group":126},"sour-cream",200,"smetana or sour cream",{"ref":132,"qty":117,"unit":97,"name":133,"optional":122,"group":126},"sour-cherry","sour cherry jam or honey",{"ref":135,"qty":117,"unit":97,"name":136,"optional":122,"group":126},"salmon","smoked or salted salmon",[138,142,146,150,154,158],{"title":139,"text":140,"tip":141},"Start the batter","Whisk the lukewarm milk with the yeast and sugar, then beat in the flour, egg yolks and salt until completely smooth with no lumps clinging to the whisk. The batter will be thick at this stage, like a loose cake batter.","Lukewarm means you can hold a finger in it comfortably. Anything hotter kills the yeast.",{"title":143,"text":144,"timerSeconds":145},"Let it rise","Cover the bowl with a cloth and leave it somewhere warm for 60 to 90 minutes, until the surface is domed, covered in bubbles and smells faintly beery. Do not stir it down.",4500,{"title":147,"text":148,"tip":149},"Loosen and lighten","Stir the melted butter gently into the risen batter, then pour in the boiling water in a thin stream while whisking — the batter will thin dramatically to the consistency of single cream. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold them in with a few strokes.","The boiling water is what turns ordinary pancakes into lacy ones. Add it slowly so the batter does not scramble.",{"title":151,"text":152,"timerSeconds":153},"Rest briefly, then heat the pan","Let the batter stand for 15 minutes while you heat a 22 to 24 cm pan over medium heat until a drop of water skitters across the surface. Grease it very lightly with oil on a folded paper towel.",900,{"title":155,"text":156,"timerSeconds":76,"tip":157},"Cook the blini","Pour in a small ladle of batter and immediately tilt and swirl the pan so it spreads to the edges in a thin, even round. Cook for about 1 minute, until the top is dull, riddled with set holes and dry at the rim, then flip and give it 30 seconds more, until the second side is freckled golden.","Sacrifice the first one. It exists to tell you whether the pan is too hot or too cool.",{"title":159,"text":160},"Stack and serve","Slide each pancake onto a plate, brush it with melted butter, and stack the next one on top so the pile steams itself soft. Serve warm with smetana, and put out jam or honey alongside salted fish so everyone can go sweet or savory.",{"calories":162,"protein":163,"carbs":164,"fat":165,"fiber":103,"sugar":166,"estimated":122},480,14,62,19,12,[168],{"src":169,"alt":170},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fblini\u002Fhero.svg","Stack of thin lacy Russian blini pancakes with sour cream, jam and salted salmon on the side",[4,172,173,174,175,176,79],"russian pancakes","yeast pancakes","maslenitsa","smetana","buckwheat","2026-08-20","dishroute-kitchen",{"items":180,"total":389,"page":110,"limit":390,"hasMore":391},[181,205,212,235,256,282,303,324,347,367],{"slug":182,"title":183,"nativeName":184,"romanized":185,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":186,"difficulty":187,"course":188,"diet":190,"mainIngredients":191,"images":194,"keywords":198,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"beef-stroganoff","Beef Stroganoff (Beef Strips in Mustard Sour Cream)","Бефстроганов","Befstroganov",20,"easy",[189],"main",[],[192,128,193,88],"beef-chuck","onion",[195],{"src":196,"alt":197},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fbeef-stroganoff\u002Fhero.svg","Skillet of beef stroganoff, browned beef strips in a pale mustard sour cream sauce with onions and parsley",[199,200,201,202,203,204],"beef stroganoff","befstroganov","sour cream sauce","russian beef","mustard sauce","quick dinner",{"slug":4,"title":5,"nativeName":6,"romanized":7,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":74,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":76,"difficulty":77,"course":206,"diet":207,"mainIngredients":208,"images":209,"keywords":211,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},[79],[81,82],[84,85,86,87,88],[210],{"src":169,"alt":170},[4,172,173,174,175,176,79],{"slug":213,"title":214,"nativeName":215,"romanized":216,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":217,"prepMinutes":76,"cookMinutes":218,"restMinutes":76,"difficulty":219,"course":220,"diet":221,"mainIngredients":223,"images":225,"keywords":229,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"kulebyaka","Kulebyaka (Layered Salmon and Buckwheat Pie)","Кулебяка","Kulebyaka",8,55,"hard",[189],[222],"pescatarian",[135,176,224,86,84],"mushrooms",[226],{"src":227,"alt":228},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkulebyaka\u002Fhero.svg","Sliced kulebyaka showing layers of salmon, buckwheat, mushrooms and egg inside a golden yeasted crust",[213,230,231,232,176,233,234],"coulibiac","salmon pie","russian pie","layered pie","yeast dough",{"slug":236,"title":237,"nativeName":238,"romanized":239,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":166,"prepMinutes":240,"cookMinutes":241,"restMinutes":162,"difficulty":219,"course":242,"diet":244,"mainIngredients":245,"images":247,"keywords":251,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"medovik","Medovik (Russian Honey Layer Cake)","Медовик","Medovik",75,45,[243],"dessert",[81,82],[246,84,128,88,86],"honey",[248],{"src":249,"alt":250},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fmedovik\u002Fhero.svg","Slice of Russian medovik honey cake showing many thin dark layers with pale sour cream between them",[236,252,253,254,175,255],"honey cake","layer cake","russian dessert","sour cream frosting",{"slug":257,"title":258,"nativeName":259,"romanized":260,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":217,"prepMinutes":261,"cookMinutes":75,"restMinutes":262,"difficulty":187,"course":263,"diet":266,"mainIngredients":267,"images":271,"keywords":275,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"olivier-salad","Olivier Salad (Potato, Pea and Pickle Salad)","Салат Оливье","Salat Olivye",40,60,[264,265],"appetizer","side",[],[268,269,86,270],"potato","peas","carrot",[272],{"src":273,"alt":274},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Folivier-salad\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of Olivier salad with evenly diced potato, carrot, egg, peas and pickles in mayonnaise, topped with dill",[276,277,278,279,280,281],"olivier salad","russian salad","potato salad","new year","mayonnaise salad","zakuski",{"slug":283,"title":284,"nativeName":285,"romanized":286,"countrySlug":9,"region":287,"baseServings":288,"prepMinutes":240,"cookMinutes":74,"restMinutes":261,"difficulty":77,"course":289,"diet":290,"mainIngredients":291,"images":294,"keywords":298,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"pelmeni","Pelmeni (Siberian Meat Dumplings)","Пельмени","Pel'meni","Siberia and the Urals",6,[189],[],[84,292,293,193,86],"ground-beef","ground-pork",[295],{"src":296,"alt":297},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fpelmeni\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of boiled Siberian pelmeni dumplings glossy with butter, topped with sour cream, dill and black pepper",[283,299,300,301,302,175],"siberian dumplings","meat dumplings","russian dumplings","freezer food",{"slug":304,"title":305,"nativeName":306,"romanized":307,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":308,"prepMinutes":241,"cookMinutes":218,"restMinutes":309,"difficulty":77,"course":310,"diet":312,"mainIngredients":313,"images":315,"keywords":319,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"russian-pirozhki","Pirozhki (Russian Stuffed Yeast Buns)","Пирожки","Pirozhki",16,110,[311],"snack",[81,82],[84,314,86,88,193],"cabbage",[316],{"src":317,"alt":318},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Frussian-pirozhki\u002Fhero.svg","Tray of golden baked Russian pirozhki buns, one torn open to show the cabbage, egg and dill filling",[320,321,322,323,234,311],"pirozhki","russian buns","stuffed buns","cabbage filling",{"slug":325,"title":326,"nativeName":327,"romanized":328,"countrySlug":9,"region":329,"baseServings":73,"prepMinutes":330,"cookMinutes":331,"restMinutes":75,"difficulty":77,"course":332,"diet":333,"mainIngredients":334,"images":336,"keywords":340,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"kotleta-pozharskaya","Pozharsky Cutlets (Breaded Minced Chicken Cutlets)","Пожарская котлета","Pozharskaya kotleta","Tver",35,25,[189],[],[335,88,85,86],"chicken",[337],{"src":338,"alt":339},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fkotleta-pozharskaya\u002Fhero.svg","Golden Pozharsky chicken cutlets with a spiky bread-cube crust, served with mashed potato and lemon",[341,342,343,344,345,346],"pozharsky cutlet","kotleta pozharskaya","chicken cutlet","russian cutlet","torzhok","breaded chicken",{"slug":348,"title":349,"nativeName":350,"romanized":351,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":288,"prepMinutes":331,"cookMinutes":117,"difficulty":187,"course":352,"diet":354,"mainIngredients":355,"images":358,"keywords":362,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"shchi","Shchi (Russian Cabbage and Root Vegetable Soup)","Щи","Shchi",[353],"soup",[],[356,357,268,270],"sauerkraut","beef-brisket",[359],{"src":360,"alt":361},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fshchi\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of Russian shchi cabbage soup with beef and potato, topped with sour cream and chopped dill",[348,363,356,364,365,175,366],"cabbage soup","russian soup","beef broth","winter soup",{"slug":368,"title":369,"nativeName":370,"romanized":371,"countrySlug":9,"baseServings":288,"prepMinutes":75,"cookMinutes":262,"difficulty":77,"course":372,"diet":373,"mainIngredients":374,"images":380,"keywords":384,"publishedAt":177,"updatedAt":177,"authorSlug":178},"solyanka","Solyanka (Sour Soup with Smoked Meats and Olives)","Солянка","Solyanka",[353],[],[375,376,377,378,379],"kielbasa","ham","olives","capers","tomato-paste",[381],{"src":382,"alt":383},"\u002Fimages\u002Frecipes\u002Fsolyanka\u002Fhero.svg","Bowl of Russian solyanka soup with smoked meats, olives, a lemon slice, sour cream and dill",[368,364,385,386,377,387,388],"smoked meats","pickled cucumber","sour soup","zakuska",10,24,false,1787360076761]