Organic Light Brown Plain Flour

HOMEMADE BLINIS

Organic Light Brown Plain flour

These light, crumbly pancakes are Russian in origin and are usually made with buckwheat flour which has a rather bitter tang. Marriage’s Light Brown flour gives them a milder, nuttier flavour that is complemented by the traditional toppings - silky soured cream and cured or smoked fish: smoked salmon or trout. Pickled and marinated herring with its sweet/ sour/ salty taste is excellent. Blinis are simple to cook and can easily be made in advance then reheated when needed; they can be served already topped to go with drinks or as a first course, with the toppings in separate dishes to allow guests to ‘build their own’.


Preparation time: 10 minutes plus (about 2 hours rising time)
Cooking time: 35 minutes


Makes about 36 medium, 6cm blinis - serves 6 to 8 as a starter

  • 140g Marriage’s Organic Light Brown Plain flour
  • 7g sachet easy-blend dried yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon caster sugar
  • 175ml water, lukewarm
  • 1 large free-range egg, separated
  • 175ml semi-skimmed milk, lukewarm
  • A little melted butter for frying
  • To serve: strips of smoked salmon or trout, ready-made pickled or marinated herring (drained), lumpfish or salmon roe or‘caviar’, soured cream, lemon wedges.

Combine the flour with the powdered yeast, salt and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the centre and add the lukewarm water and the egg yolk. Whisk the ingredients together to make a very thick, smooth batter. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in a warm spot until doubled in volume -about 1 to 11/2 hours.


Whisk the lukewarm milk into the batter to give a consistency of double cream. Cover and leave as before until the surface is a mass of small bubbles - about 1/2 to 1 hour.


When ready to cook the blinis, whisk the egg white until it forms stiff peaks then gently fold into the batter. Heat a heavy frying pan, preferably non-stick, until it is moderately hot then add a little melted butter and swirl it around the surface. Make a test pancake: spoon in about 11/2 tablespoons of batter to make a pancake about 6cm across. Cook over medium heat for about 11/2 minutes or until the upper surface is covered in small bubbles and has set. Turn it over with a small palette knife and cook the second side until golden brown - about 11/2 minutes. Repeat using the rest of the batter, adjusting the heat as necessary.

Homemade blinis