Oladyi (Russian Thick Kefir Pancakes)
Local name: Оладьи
In short: Fluffy Russian pancakes made with kefir, egg and a little sugar, fried small and thick. Serve warm with sour cream, jam or honey. It takes about 35 min in total and makes 4 servings.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Resting
- 10 min
- Total
- 35 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 410 kcal
Oladyi are small, thick pancakes that many Russian children grow up on. The batter uses kefir, a tangy fermented milk, and a pinch of baking soda, which reacts with the acid and makes the pancakes puff in the pan. They are thicker and fluffier than blini and about the size of your palm. Serve them warm for breakfast or a snack with sour cream, jam or honey, and stir grated apple or raisins into the batter if you like.
Instructions
- Whisk the eggs, sugar and salt in a bowl until smooth, then stir in the kefir.
- Stir the baking soda into the flour, then add it to the wet mixture in two parts. Mix gently until just combined. The batter should be thick like soft cake batter and drop slowly from a spoon.
- Rest the batter for 10 minutes, until small bubbles appear on the surface.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the pan, leaving 3 cm (1 inch) between them. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until the surface is covered in bubbles and the base is golden.
- Flip, lower the heat slightly and cook for 2 minutes more until puffed and cooked through. Keep the finished oladyi warm under a cloth and cook the rest, adding oil as needed.
- Serve warm with sour cream, jam or honey.
Tips
- Do not overmix. Stir only until no dry flour is visible, or the pancakes turn dense. If the batter thickens during the rest, loosen it with a splash of kefir.
- No kefir? Use buttermilk, or thin plain yogurt with a little milk. For apple oladyi, fold in 1 grated apple after squeezing out the excess juice.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between oladyi and blini?
Oladyi are small, thick and fluffy, made from a leavened kefir batter. Blini are thin, wide and crepe-like. Oladyi are closer to American pancakes.
Can I make oladyi without baking soda?
Yes, replace it with 1 teaspoon of baking powder. Baking soda gives the best rise with kefir because it reacts with the acid.
Can I make the oladyi batter ahead?
Use it within an hour, since the baking soda loses strength after that and the pancakes turn flat. Leftover cooked oladyi keep in the fridge for 2 days and warm up well in a pan.
How long does it take to make Oladyi (Russian Thick Kefir Pancakes)?
About 35 min in total: 15 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking.
How many calories are in Oladyi (Russian Thick Kefir Pancakes)?
About 410 kcal per serving, with 13 g of protein, 58 g of carbohydrates and 14 g of fat. These values are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 410 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 13 g |
| Carbohydrates | 58 g |
| Fat | 14 g |
| Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 12 g |
| Sodium | 680 mg |
Estimated values, calculated from the ingredients.
