Fluffy pancakes a.k.a. these traditional Russian Oladi was always my ultimate fave breakfast dish growing up. Poured with some good caramel sauce or honey on top. Mah gah. Today I could still giddily inhale 15 pans of that glory.
These fluffy pancakes are smaller than typical American pancakes with a tender crumb and a delicious crispy outside. They are made with my secret ingredient called Kefir. Kefir is a tangy, slightly fizzy, FANTASTIC fermented milk beverage with tremendous health benefits to your body. It contains tons of beneficial bacteria that help boost our digestive system and overall health.
Kefir and other fermented foods were part of my life growing up and today I still love experimenting with them in my own kitchen. I already made these fluffy squash pancakes using Kefir in the past. I love adding this healthy fermented dairy drink to any pancake or crepe batter. The batter basically rises itself due to the naturally fermented kefir properties and pancakes turn out fluffy and airy.
Kefir is easy to find in almost any grocery store dairy department near yogurt. But today I will show you how darn easy it is to make your own. Which is not only a better quality product, but also way more cost effective. You just need some Milk Kefir Grains
The steps basically go like this: put the kefir grains in milk. Let the milk sit on your counter for 12-24 hours depending on how warm your house is. Strain the mixture separating grains from the newly made kefir. Rinse the grains and the jar. Refill with fresh milk. Repeat every day forever and drink the homemade Kefir.
Kefir grains will happily grow and multiply in organic homogenised cow’s milk if you keep the routine everyday. Over time, the grains will multiply and you can either discard the extra or share it with friends. You can also take a break from making kefir by putting the grains in a new jar of milk and storing them in the fridge. You can drink your homemade Kefir plain, put it in smoothies or use to make the fluffy kefir pancakes. Start your day in the most incredibly healthy and ridiculously tasty way today!
Homemade Kefir (makes 0.5 L):
2 tbsp milk kefir grains
0.5 l organic homogenised cow’s milk
clean jar, cheesecloth, twine or rubber band, wooden or plastic spoon, plastic sieve
Fluffy Kefir Pancakes:
2 cups kefir
2 eggs
4 tbsp melted butter
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
4-5 tbsp oil
caramel, honey, sour cream for garnishing
Place kefir grains in a clean jar and fill with milk. Cover with cheesecloth and use a string of twine or rubber band to secure it. Let it sit for 24 hours, gently shaking it side-to-side a bit about 3 times a day. Once the milk has thickened and the texture is like thin yogurt the kefir is ready. The mixture will thicken over time as it ferments and you will see it starting to separate into curds and whey. I usually try to take care of it before it starts some serious separation.The warmer your home is, the less time it will take, and vice versa.
Strain out the kefir grains through a sieve, gently shaking the sieve from side to side to let kefir drain through. I recommend using plastic sieve instead of metal. Avoid using metal spoon too. That way your grains will stay healthy as metal can cause unnecessary reaction.
Rinse the jar and kefir grains with water. Place them back in a clean jar and refill with milk to make another batch. Over time as grains multiply and grow, you should add more milk to adjust the proportions.
Another tip would be to discard any grains that have flown to the top immediately after refilling with new batch of milk. Those are empty grains that have done their job and are no longer needed. All other healthy grains will stay at the bottom, but you will notice them flowing to the top once they start fermenting the milk, and that’s ok.
The kefir you strained from this batch is ready for drinking! You can drink it at room temperature, or refrigerate it to chill a bit. Feel free to blend it with various fruits, spices, or extracts to add some flavor. Alternatively, it can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
You can make as little or as much as you want, I usually make 0.5 ml of kefir every day (and I slow things down a bit if I have a backlog by letting it ferment in the fridge instead of in the pantry). If you only have a tablespoon or two of grains to begin with, just use a cup or two of milk to begin with, until your grains have multiplied enough to ferment more milk.
To make fluffy kefir pancakes, whisk the eggs with sugar and vanilla in the mixing bowl. Warm up the kefir slightly and pour into the egg mixture. Add the melted butter and mix.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the kefir and egg mixture. Quickly mix everything to combine, but avoid over mixing. If there are a few lumps left, don’t worry, they will disappear while cooking. Leave it to rest for 5-7 minutes.
The batter should be thick and resemble a consistency of thick sour cream.
Heat the skillet with oil over medium high heat. Place a tablespoon of batter on the skillet leaving some space between pancakes. Switch the heat to low and cook until golden, then using 2 forks flip to the other side and cook for another few minutes until golden.
Serve warm with sour cream, honey, jam or caramel sauce.
- Homemade Kefir (makes 0.5 L):
- 2 tbsp milk kefir grains
- 0.5 L organic homogenised cow’s milk
- clean jar, cheesecloth, twine or rubber band, wooden or plastic spoon, plastic sieve
- Fluffy Kefir Pancakes:
- 2 cups kefir
- 2 eggs
- 4 tbsp melted butter
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 4-5 tbsp oil
- caramel, honey, sour cream for garnishing
- Place kefir grains in a clean jar and fill with milk. Cover with cheesecloth and use a string of twine or rubber band to secure it. Let it sit for 24 hours, gently shaking it side-to-side a bit about 3 times a day. Once the milk has thickened and the texture is like thin yogurt the kefir is ready. The more it ferments the mixture will thicken until you see it starting to separate into curds and whey. I usually try to take care of it before it starts some serious separation.The warmer your home is, the less time it will take, and vice versa.
- Strain out the kefir grains through a sieve, gently shaking the sieve from side to side to let kefir drain through. I recommend using plastic sieve instead of metal. Avoid using metal spoon either. That way your grains will stay healthy, as metal can cause unnecessary reaction.
- Rinse the jar and kefir grains with water. Place them back in a clean jar and refill with milk to make another batch. With time, as grains multiply and grow you should add more milk to adjust the proportions.
- Another tip would be to discard any grains that have flown to the top immediately after refilling with new batch of milk. Those are empty grains that are done with the job and we no longer need them. All other healthy grains will stay at the bottom, but you will notice them flowing to the top once they start fermenting the milk, and that’s ok.
- The kefir you strained from this batch is ready for drinking! You can drink it at room temperature, or refrigerate it to chill a bit. Feel free to blend it with various fruits, spices, or extracts to add some flavor. Alternatively, it can be stored in the fridge for up to a week.
- You can make as little or as much as you want, I usually make 0.5 ml of kefir every day (and I slow things down a bit if I have a backlog by letting it ferment in the fridge instead of in the pantry). If you only have a tablespoon or two of grains to begin with, just use a cup or two of milk to begin with, until your grains have multiplied enough to ferment more milk.
- To make fluffy kefir pancakes, whisk the eggs with sugar and vanilla in the mixing bowl. Warm up the kefir slightly and pour into the egg mixture. Add the melted butter and mix.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour with baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the kefir and egg mixture. Quickly mix everything to combine, but avoid over mixing. If there are a few lumps left, don’t worry, they will disappear while cooking. Leave it to rest for 5-7 minutes.
- The batter should be thick and resemble a consistency of thick sour cream.
- Heat the skillet with oil over medium high heat. Place a tablespoon of batter on the skillet leaving some space between pancakes. Switch the heat to low and cook until golden, then using 2 forks flip to the other side and cook for another few minutes until golden.
- Serve warm with sour cream, honey, jam or caramel sauce.
So, where do I start? Beautiful apron or is it a long necklace?
What kind of sauce is that? I want a jar of it!
I actually have never tried homemade kefir, It always seemed strange to me, but I now want to try. Just need to find the grains 🙂
Thank you, Julia, you are so sweet! I love my new apron, it’s a Christmas gift from my sister-in-law. The sauce is condensed milk 🙂 And as far as Kefir, you simply HAVE to try, I’ll even share the grains!
Boiled condensed milk? Варенная Сгущенка? I may take you up on the kefir grains offer 🙂 We are planning big renovations in February, so I’ll be out of the house for a few weeks, but once I’m back, I may reach out for the kefir grains 🙂
Sounds good! Good luck with your renovations!
You know I actually have a bottle of kefir in the fridge that I need to use up…this is a great way to do that. We love pancakes on the weekend…thanks!!
Thanks! This is your time, Gloria! Enjoy 🙂
I know what’s for breakfast tomorrow 🙂 I also make kefir using the grains but I have a bit of a slower system (that works better with our consumption rate) where it ferments in the fridge and takes about a week. Once in a while (if I need more kefir), I’ll take them out and do a normal fermentation cycle too…love how adaptable and flexible they are.
Thanks Sofia! I am newbie with kefir grains but I’m loving what they are capable of already! We went away skiing for the weekend and I stored them in the fridge for 3 days giving them a bit of break.
How unique and tasty looking! I LOVE how you put condensed milk over the pancakes, what a yummy idea 🙂
I know right?! Condensed milk goes with so many things 🙂
This is super cool and I’m definitely trying it! Thank you for a great post!
Renee
Thanks Renee! Enjoy!
What glorious pancakes and photos! That homemade kefir is a must-try!
Thanks Angie!
Your pancakes look so fluffy! Such a great idea to use kefir, great twist to the usual.
Can’t wait to try this recipe 🙂 x
Thank you! I hope you love it!
Wow!
You can eat the grains. I do all the time.
I’ve been making Milk and water kefir since last fall.
The milk kefir grains are chewy like gummy bears.
I drink milk and water kefir daily.
Thanks for the kefir pancakes recipe!
I always thought that if I heated kefir, it rather killed the probiotics in it. So I do not cook with it. What are your thoughts on this? The pancakes do look good.
Thanks Cheri. The kefir is essential for the recipe to make pancakes fluffy. We mainly consume it raw for it’s probiotic benefits, but sometimes use in cooking as well.
I have a great buttermilk pancake recipe that is my go to, but was out of buttermilk. I make my own kefir so I thought I would look for a kefir pancake recipe and found yours. They were wonderful. Fluffy and soft inside just how we like them. The kefir imparts a little bit different, but just as good, flavor. I now have another go to pancake recipe. Thank you for your contribution.
Awe, thank you so much Karli! I am so happy you love this recipe!
I had kefir in the fridge to use up. I bought it as a first time user just to see what it was like. I looked for a pancake recipe on line and settled on yours Lily. They were the best ever….no other pancake will do from now on 😀. I will try your kefir recipe next. Thank you.
Wendy
So happy to hear this Wendy! Thank you!
These pancakes are AMAZING. They are so light and fluffy and moist, yumm. Thank you!!!!!!!
I am so glad I tried this recipe! It made for a delightful breakfast on Sunday morning as we watched our church service remotely due to the Covid 19 scare. Thank you for sharing and prayers for your good health where you are!
I loved this kefir pancake recipe. Love your version and all the wonderful ingredients you have used in this pancake. This is really a very fluffy pancake.