Pancakes

Name: Pancakes
Ingredients: 1 egg; 300 ml milk; 3 tbsp sugar; 2 tbsp butter; 2 tsp vanilla sugar; 2 tsp baking powder; 200 - 250 g flour; a pinch of salt

Pancakes are classic American fluffy flapjacks. In shape and appearance they resemble our oladyi (Russian fritters) — tall, fluffy, and full of air pockets — but they're made with milk like traditional blini. Unlike fritters, which are fried in oil, pancakes are cooked on a completely dry skillet, so they come out not greasy at all. I ended up with 5 pancakes, each about 15 cm in diameter.

Ingredients:

1 egg
300 ml milk
3 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp butter
2 tsp vanilla sugar
2 tsp baking powder
200 - 250 g flour
a pinch of salt

How to cook pancakes

Melt the butter (I melted mine in the microwave) and let it cool.

Add the egg, milk, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt, and stir to combine. Then add the baking powder and flour and whisk thoroughly until no lumps remain. The batter should be about the same consistency as fritter batter.

Heat a skillet, then pour a few tablespoons of batter onto the dry surface — it will spread out smoothly into a thick round. Cover with a lid and cook over slightly below medium heat for about 3–4 minutes, or until characteristic bubbles appear on the surface. Cooking on a dry skillet only works if it has a non-stick coating. If your pan is not non-stick, it's best to lightly grease it with a little butter or vegetable oil beforehand. You can also make 3–4 smaller pancakes at a time instead of one large one (just like you would with fritters).

Flip to the other side and cook for another 3–4 minutes.

Stack the finished pancakes to keep them warm. Shown here sliced open.

Pancakes can be served with just about anything — honey, butter, jam, sour cream, or sweetened condensed milk. I spread the hot pancakes with butter, drizzled them with honey, and topped them with sour cream and a maraschino cherry.