Whenever we are in for a long lazy weekend, I make some kind of pancakes for breakfast. These apple pancakes are a blast from the past – a delicious treat from my childhood. In Russian we call them “oladushki”. This type of pancakes are made with kefir, or laban, instead of milk, which adds a distinctive sour taste to the batter. The sourness is compensated by serving oladushki with sweet condiments such as honey, preserves or quite simply sour cream mixed with sugar. In this version I add shredded apples to the batter. When cooked, apples soften and create a slightly gooey texture which feels as if the pancakes are melting in your mouth.
Ingredients notes:
Flour: use regular, all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Laban: an alternative to milk or cream, laban imparts a distinctive sour flavour to the batter.
Apples: sweet apples provide a nice contrast to the sourness of the batter. Jazz, Fuji or Royal gala are all grate choices.
Preparation tips for Apple Pancakes:
If possible, use two large pans to speed up the process.
Serving suggestions:
Apple pancakes go particularly well with sour cream mixed with sugar. Raw honey, maple syrup or nutella are also great choices.
Apple Pancakes
Equipment
- 1 Frying Pan
- 1 Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 350 g All Purpose Flour
- 800 ml Activia Laban
- 1 Egg
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2-3 Sweet Apples like Jazz, Fuji or Royal gala, peeled and grated
- Olive Oil for frying
- Sour Cream and/or honey for serving
Instructions
- Make the batter by stirring 800 ml Activia Laban into 350 g All Purpose Flour. Add the 1 Egg and 2 tbsp Sugar and mix everything together until the consistency is smooth and slightly thick and there are no lumps left. Add the grated 2-3 Sweet Apples and give it another mix.
- In a large frying pan, heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil to medium.
- Use a ladle to scoop the batter and pour slowly onto the pan to form small pancakes (one full ladle would yield 3 pancakes). Try to space them around so that the edges don’t touch. A large pan should fit about 6 pancakes.
- Fry over medium heat until golden brown (about 3 minutes), then flip and continue frying on lower heat, this will help the pancakes cook through (about 7 minutes).
Notes
- Depending on appetite, above quantities will yield enough pancakes for 4-6 family members and it will take approximately one hour of frying (two large pans, low-medium heat, about 10 mins per batch).
