Kefir Pancakes
A little denser and more porous, with a slight tang. The baking soda reacts with the acid in the kefir, so the batter rises without baking powder and comes out porous — filling holds well on a pancake like this.
- Time15 min + 20 min rest
- Total40 min
- Servings4 servings
- Yield≈13 pancakes, Ø 24 cm
- DifficultyEasy
Method
-
Combine the kefir and baking soda
Pour the kefir into a bowl, add the baking soda, and stir. Leave for 5 minutes: the mixture will start to foam and grow slightly in volume. That's the reaction that will lighten the batter.
5 min -
Add the eggs, salt, and sugar
Beat in the eggs, add the salt and sugar, and whisk until smooth.
1 min -
Stir in the flour
Sift the flour and whisk it in. The batter will be fairly thick — that's fine, the boiling water will loosen it next.
2 min -
Scald the batter
Pour in the boiling water in a thin stream, stirring constantly. The batter will become smooth and runny, and the edges of the pancakes lacy. If you'd rather not use boiling water, just add 50 ml of warm kefir.
1 min -
Add the oil
Add the vegetable oil and stir. Cover and leave for 20 minutes so the flour hydrates and the baking soda finishes its work.
20 min -
Fry in a well-heated pan
Heat the pan over medium heat and grease it with oil the first time. Ladle in the batter and spread it quickly. Fry for 40–50 seconds on each side until golden.
40 sec per side -
Serve right away
Kefir pancakes taste best hot: they firm up as they cool. Brush with butter and serve with sour cream or cottage cheese.
Common mistakes
- There's no need to slack the baking soda with vinegar — the acid in the kefir is enough, and vinegar only adds an off smell.
- Too much baking soda: more than ½ tsp per 500 ml gives a soapy taste and a yellow color.
- Cold kefir reacts poorly with the baking soda — the batter rises less.
- Heat too high: porous pancakes burn on the outside and stay raw inside.