May 8, 2021

Estonian Pancakes

Delightful, crape-like Estonian pancakes recipe that make the perfect breakfast on Mother's Day.

Estonian-style pancakes are a cross between a pancake and a crape, in that they are generally too thin to be thought of as traditional North American pancakes, and too thick for any chef to consider to be a proper crape. In any case, they are delicious and easy to roll or fold up around your desired topping.

My mother taught me how to make these many years ago, and I'm so grateful she did. They are simple to make, cook up quickly, and they will have the whole family coming back for more.

You can top them with all the traditional fair from syrup to fresh fruit and jam, but these are not very sweet, so you can also make them savoury. Try rolling up a slice of bacon and some scrambled eggs in one of these pancakes. YUM!

TIP: I find it far easier to flip these pancakes when using an offset spatula.

TIP: To keep the prepared pancakes warm while you cook the rest, either cover the plate with a lid or tea towel, or keep the plate in a warmed oven until all the pancakes are cooked.

Ingredients

(Makes 4 servings | Serving size = 2 pancakes)

2 cups milk
1 egg
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1, 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
butter for frying

Directions

In a mixing bowl, add the milk. Whisk in the egg, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Once combined, slowly whisk in the flour 1/4 cup at a time. The final batter will be thinner than regular pancake batter, yet still thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If yours is too liquid, add a little more flour until it reaches the proper consistency. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk.

In a small 6-inch or 8-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, melt a tiny pat of butter. Once the butter is sizzling, spread it around then transfer 1 ladle (roughly 1/8th) of the batter into the centre of the pan and let it spread across the bottom. Allow the pancake to cook for a minute or so until you begin to see small bubbles appearing and bursting on top (see pictured below). Test to see if the bottom has solidified enough to flip the pancake onto the other side. Once you are able to flip the pancake, cook it on the other side for an additional minute, or until browned.

Place the cooked pancake on a plate, add another tiny pat of butter to the pan to melt, add batter then repeat cooking the pancakes one at a time until the batter is done. Makes ~8 pancakes. If necessary, lower the heat if the pan is becoming too hot.

Serve immediately with your favourite toppings.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: