A Gluten-Free Blini Recipe

Caviar with Gluten-Free Blinis
Getty Images 2014
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Total: 25 mins
Servings: 14 to 28 servings

Blini is Slavic for the symbol of the sun. That makes sense — but what blinis really are, are traditional earthly buckwheat pancakes. Our gluten-free version of Russian blinis was adapted from a recipe for Buckwheat Pancakes — Blinis which appears in the cookbook, Cook's Illustrated — The Best International Recipes.

According to Cook's Illustrated (CI) recipe editors, their goal was to create a less time-consuming recipe compared to traditional blini recipes that call for active yeast. They also wanted a slightly sweeter than traditionally sour blini. So far I like their plan. And, if, like me, you're a fan of Cook's Illustrated, you'll appreciate their parameters of recipe development. What a talented group.

As noted, when Russian cooks did not have access to buckwheat flour, they used wheat flour to prepare blinis. With that in mind, the CI recipe developers used a combination of half buckwheat flour and half all purpose flour in their blini recipe. We followed suit, except substituting one of our favorite gluten-free all-purpose flour blends for the wheat called for in the CI recipe. We also cut back on the liquids called for in the original recipe to get just the right batter consistency with our gluten-free flour blend.

So here you have it. Our very easy, delicious gluten-free version of classic Russian blinis. They make a fabulous breakfast pancake or made silver-dollar sized, are the perfect foundation for caviar appetizers.

For the very best results, please use a scale to weigh flours in recipes.

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) buckwheat flour

  • 2 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup) gluten-free all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar

  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

  • 1/2 teaspoon gluten-free baking powder

  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

  • 1/4 teaspoon guar gum, if the gluten-free flour blend doesn't contain xanthan gum

  • 1 cup buttermilk, or 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar mixed with whole milk

  • 1 large egg

  • 2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the frying pan

Steps to Make It

  1. Place dry ingredients in a bowl and whisk to thoroughly blend.

  2. Crack an egg into a bowl. Whisk. Add buttermilk and melted butter. Whisk. Add dry ingredients and whisk just until smooth. Let sit for 5 minutes to allow liquids to absorb into dry ingredients.

  3. Heat a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly oil pan with coconut oil or your favorite oil.

  4. For appetizer-sized blini: When the pan is hot, use a tablespoon to pour batter into the pan. When the surface has multiple little holes, flip. Cook just until both sides are golden browned. Continue until all batter is used.

  5. For breakfast-sized blini pancakes: When the pan is hot, pour 1 ounce  (2 tablespoons) batter in pan. Continue as above.

  6. To make caviar blini, top each cooled blini with a dollop of sour cream and a small scoop of your favorite caviar.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
28 Calories
1g Fat
4g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 14 to 28
Amount per serving
Calories 28
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g 1%
Saturated Fat 1g 3%
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 84mg 4%
Total Carbohydrate 4g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 17mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 32mg 1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)