Pancake recipes

Crepes with banana and chocolate are a delicate, fragrant and remarkably tasty homemade dessert that turns ordinary thin pancakes into a real café- or restaurant-level treat. The combination of sweet ripe bananas, melted chocolate and thin crepes creates the classic "Parisian" flavor pairing known from the famous crêpes of Montmartre. It's an ideal choice for a Sunday brunch, a romantic dinner or for happily welcoming guests. Cook thin crepes from a milk-and-egg batter on a hot pan for 1-2 minutes per side. Slice ripe bananas into rounds and melt chocolate in a water bath or in the microwave. On each crepe arrange banana slices, drizzle with melted chocolate and fold into an envelope or roll. Dust with confectioners' sugar or drizzle with more chocolate on top. Proportions for 12 crepes inside.

Pancakes with strawberry jam inside are a remarkably tasty homemade dessert that looks no different from ordinary fluffy kefir pancakes on the outside, but holds a cheerful surprise right in the center. When you break or bite into one, fragrant strawberry jam flows out — a perfect find for a joyful family breakfast or for delighting children. The technique is simple: pour a little batter onto the pan, place a spoonful of thick jam in the center and gently cover with another portion of batter, completely sealing the filling inside. Fry under a lid for 2-3 minutes per side until golden. The batter is mixed from kefir, an egg, sugar, flour, baking soda and a pinch of salt. Proportions for 12 pancakes inside.

Fluffy pumpkin pancakes on kefir are bright, fragrant and remarkably tender pancakes with a gentle sweet pumpkin flavor — and thanks to the addition of pumpkin puree they take on a beautiful sunny color and become considerably more nutritious than ordinary ones. The kefir-and-baking-soda combo gives them their characteristic fluffiness, while pumpkin adds extra moisture and vitamins, especially welcome in autumn and winter. They make an ideal hearty yet tasty breakfast for the whole family, especially for kids who otherwise won't touch pumpkin. Peel the pumpkin, cube it and either boil or roast until soft, then mash to a puree. Add the puree to the kefir along with an egg, sugar, baking soda, salt and flour and stir to the consistency of thick sour cream. Fry on a hot oiled pan for 2-3 minutes per side. Proportions for 20 pancakes inside.

Fluffy kefir pancakes with a topping of ham, bell pepper and green onion can easily become a tasty and hearty breakfast for the whole family. They're a very tasty dish that completely shatters the stereotype that pancakes are only a sweet dessert. Essentially these are pancakes with a "filling" baked right into the batter: the topping is placed on the pan before pouring in the batter, and the result is a finished all-in-one dish — both pancake and hearty filling at once. The main secrets of fluffy pancakes are the right ratio of kefir to baking soda for lift, and sufficient thickness (not thin crepes but plumper rounds). Mix kefir with egg, sugar, salt, baking soda and flour into a thick batter. Finely chop ham, pepper and green onion. Scatter the topping onto the pan, pour over the batter and cook covered for 2-3 minutes per side. Proportions for 12 pancakes inside.

Sharing a tested recipe for remarkably tasty and fragrant kefir pancakes with green onion and hard-boiled eggs. Once you try these pancakes, you'll make them regularly — that's how successful and versatile this dish is. In spirit the recipe is similar to the classic Russian "onion pie inside out": instead of wrapping the filling in dough, it's mixed straight into the batter, and the result is genuine "savory" pancakes. They're an ideal quick breakfast, light dinner or hearty appetizer alongside soup or borscht. Mix kefir with eggs, sugar, salt and baking soda, then gradually add flour to a thick batter. Finely chop fresh green onion and coarsely grate hard-boiled eggs. Stir into the batter. Fry on a hot oiled pan for 2-3 minutes per side until golden. Serve with sour cream. Proportions for 16-18 pancakes inside.

Vanilla cornmeal pancakes are a light, lacy and gluten-free homemade treat that wins you over with their sunny color, the pretty little holes all over the surface and their delicate vanilla aroma. Cornmeal is a great alternative to wheat flour for anyone following a gluten-free diet or simply looking to vary their usual pancakes: the dish turns out noticeably lighter while staying just as tasty and fluffy. To warm milk add eggs, sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt, then gradually whisk in a mix of cornmeal and a little rice flour (for elasticity) to a smooth pourable consistency. Stir in oil at the very end. Fry on a hot pan for 1-2 minutes per side. Serve with honey, berries or sour cream. Proportions for 18 pancakes inside.

Tender crepes with garlic sauce are an original and remarkably tasty dish in which classic thin milk crepes are served with a savory garlic dressing and turn into a real hearty snack — perfectly suited as an accompaniment to soups, borscht or simply as a standalone hot starter for dinner. The main advantage is that ordinary familiar crepes take on a completely new "savory" character thanks to the unusual garlic-and-sour-cream dressing with plenty of fresh herbs. It's a tasty find for anyone who wants to vary the home menu without much effort. Cook the crepes from a classic milk batter — eggs, milk, flour, sugar, salt and oil — thin and lacy. Make the garlic sauce from thick sour cream, crushed garlic, finely chopped dill and parsley, salt and a pinch of black pepper. Brush the finished crepes with the sauce and fold into triangles or envelopes. Proportions for 12 crepes inside.