Blini is a yeasted or naturally leavened (sourdough) version of crepes. They are a great way to use your sourdough discard. Blini are not paper thin like crepes, but fluffy because of the fermentation. They are infinitely versatile. One can serve them with a great variety of toppings or fillings.
Sourdough Blini with Oat Milk
Blini is a delicious way to utilize your refrigerated or fresh sourdough discard to enrich your blini batter.
Ingredients
- 160 grams active sourdough
- 600 grams oat milk
- 16 grams monkfruit sweetener or sugar
- 91 grams eggs, 2 large
- 225 grams all-purpose flour
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions
Making the batter:
- Combine the sourdough with oat milk. Add monk fruit sweetener or sugar. Whisk everything vigourously. Add eggs and salt. Whisk everything together again. Many people use room-temperature eggs because they mix better.
- Add flour and whisk everything again. Mixing is finished.
- You could also use a blender. It takes about 30 seconds to blend your batter until smooth.
- In the ideal world, you let your batter ferment for about an hour and a half or two hours. If you want to make your blini faster, you may let the batter rest for 30 minutes. Then you add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with a splash of vinegar. It will mimic the fermentation process and will give you those tiny air bubbles in the batter that you strive to get.
Cooking:
- Heat your non-stick or well-seasoned cast-iron crepe pan over medium heat for 2 minutes. I always season my pan with melted Ghee, organic coconut oil, or light olive oil. I do it every time before pouring the batter onto the crepe-pan.
- I use a 9-inch crepe-pan. To pour the batter onto the pan I use my old 1/2-cup ladle, which is a perfect match for the 9-inch pan of the pan. I put one full ladle of batter onto the pan and start tilting and swirling the pan to distribute the batter evenly.
- I cook blini until the edges start lifting from the pan and the color is golden or golden-brown. The color largely depends on the amount of sugar and type of flour used in your batter. It usually takes 1-1.5 minutes.
- Then I lift the edges of the blini with a silicon-coated, heat-resistant spatula, and flip them over. I cook blini on the other side just until they reach a golden color. It usually takes about 40-45 seconds.
- Slide your blini onto a plate.
- I always brush the top side of my blini with melted Ghee or butter while they are still hot. That way blini stay soft longer and do not stick to each other. Butter coating also makes it easier to reheat blini if you plan to store them in the refrigerator.
- Stack blini on top of one another and let them cool down completely before refrigerating or freezing. You can keep them in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I put blini in a glass container with an airtight plastic lid. I do not freeze them, but you may freeze the blini for up to one month.
Notes
- For a lighter batter, use freshly sifted flour.
- For a savory version of your blini, you may omit the sugar and add some grated Parmesan cheese. Adding some herbs is another option.
- To season your crepe-pan, you may use a heat-resistant silicone pastry brush or a paper towel. Each time you need to add only a thin layer of oil to the pan.
My sourdough discard
Baking soda
Baking soda with raspberry vinegar
The first side is almost cooked
The top side is done
Enjoy your meal!