Blinis

Blinis are a Russian pancake canape that I've grown to love. I have 2 recipes on here that produce different but both great versions. I believe traditionally yeast is used, but I first learned to make them using raising agents like baking powder. It's all about how much time you have and what flavor you want. I find yeast has an obvious sour yeast flavor, which works quite nice with fatty smoked salmon or tuna. it can help cut the richness of creme fraiche or other heavy textures you want to add to the blini. The first recipe has buckwheat, which is gluten free, although you need to read the labels incase its made in a factory with wheat products, which is common. This recipe uses baking powder as a raising agent. I haven't tried it with yeast yet, I'm not sure if the combo of a strong flavoured flour with yeast might be too much. But go ahead and try it and comment on the results. Enjoy.

Buckwheat Blini 2 eggs

2 tsp baking powder

300ml milk

175 buckwheat flour

2 tsbp olive oil whisk eggs , add milk. mix dry ingredients, add to wet. for best results put in squeeze bottle to dispense. put a pan on medium heat, spray with cooking oil. dispense batter to make 1 inch circles, flip when browned. Yeast blinis 10g yeast 10g sugar 300ml warm milk

225g flour 1 free-range egg, separated, plus 2 extra egg whites vegetable oil, for frying add yeast, sugar and warm milk together and let yeast activate for 5 -10 mins take all egg whites and whisk till just under firm peaks, add a few drops of lemon juice halfway through to stabilize eggs. whisk in egg yolk to wet mixture of warm milk, yeast and sugar, then sift in flour and fold in egg whites last carefully. let mixture stand for 20 mins in warm place, it's worth the wait for the bubbles and flavour. cook as above.