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My mom is always inventing new ways to use a classic recipe. These buttermilk pancakes are commonly referred to as “oladi” but we called them “blinchiki” growing up.
They are like american buttermilk pancakes, only 10 times better. Ok, they are NOTHING like American pancakes. My sister, Anna, gave me a great tip for next day pancakes: just put them in the toaster and they taste like fresh!
NOTE: The original recipe I posted had raisins mixed in. This incorporates finely chopped apples – fruit makes everything better! I also updated the original recipe to 4 cups of flour instead of 4 1/4; they are fluffier and nicer this way. Just like Mama’s!
I’ve officially started my Nursing program this week (hence the posting delay). I appreciate your requests for additional specific recipes. I only ask for your patience as I have zero time to do anything but read my textbooks!
Ingredients for buttermilk pancakes:
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups warm water
2 eggs, room temperature
½ Tbsp salt
2 Tbsp sugar
½ Tbsp active dry yeast
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (Flour made in Canada makes the fluffiest pancakes)
1 to 1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples (About 2 medium apples, peeled and cored)
Oil for frying (I used canola)
How to make buttermilk pancakes:
1. Whisk together the first 6 ingredients (cups buttermilk, 2 cups warm water, 2 eggs,1/2 Tbsp salt, 2 Tbsp sugar and 1/2 Tbsp yeast).
2. Add the flour one cup at a time until it is the texture of cake batter. There should not be lumps of flour.
3. Mix in the finely chopped apples.
4. You have to put the batter in a warm place to rise. We use the oven. Warm your oven and then turn it off so it’s just about 90 degrees in there. Not too warm.
Pour the batter in an oven proof bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. Let it sit in a warm oven for 1 hour. It will about double in volume. You can put it outside in summer.
5. In a large skillet, heat 3-4 tablespoons of oil over medium-low, medium heat.
6. Place heaping tablespoons of dough onto the skillet and sauté until golden brown, then turn over. You can get better shaped pancakes if you use a wet tablespoon to put the dough in the skillet and scrape it off with a teaspoon.
7. Continue to oil your skillet in between each batch. They turn out nicer on a well-oiled skillet.
Oladi with Apples (Russian Buttermilk Pancakes)
Ingredients
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups warm water
- 2 eggs, room temperature
- ½ tablespoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ tablespoon active dry yeast
- 3 3/4 cups flour
- 1 to 1 1/2 cups finely chopped apples, About 2 medium apples, peeled and cored
- Oil for frying
Instructions
- Whisk together the first 6 ingredients (buttermilk, water, eggs, salt, sugar and yeast).
- Add the flour one cup at a time until it is the texture of cake batter. There should not be lumps of flour.
- Mix in the finely chopped apples.
- You have to put the batter in a warm place to rise. Pour the batter in an oven proof bowl and cover it with a kitchen towel. Let it sit in a warm oven for 1 hour. It will about double in volume.
- In a large skillet, heat 3-4 Tbsp of oil over medium-low, medium heat.
- Place heaping Tbsp of dough onto the skillet and saute until golden brown, then turn over. You can get better shaped pancakes if you use a wet tablespoon to put the dough in the skillet and scrape it off with a teaspoon.
- Continue to oil your skillet in between each batch. They turn out nicer on a well-oiled skillet.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
These are amazing, as is all your recipes I have tried. I have your book and am constantly pulling up your blog to watch the videos you have on so many recipes. Thank you for your family stories . I Loved reading your book and looking through your recipes, as well as trying them. Thank you for making cooking fun and easy even on complicated dishes.
Hi Chriss! It makes me so happy to hear that. Thank you for sharing. I’m glad you’re loving the recipes.
These pancakes are absolutely terrible. Soggy, raw texture. I should have paid attention to the picture, because they are also very pretty flat there. I personally do not recommend this recipe at all. I ended up throwing everything away, did not even finish cooking the batch. Was waste if my time and money!
I would rather stick to the lemon ricotta pancakes!
HI Milana, I’m glad you enjoyed the lemon ricotta pancakes – those are one of our family favorites. I would love to help you troubleshoot this. I’m suspecting maybe your yeast wasn’t activating – maybe it was expired or got overheated (which would exhaust the yeast)? That would cause the batter not to rise properly. Also did you mixture get big and bubbly, doubling in volume before you starting using it? That’s a good indication that the yeast is working properly.
My family loves this recipe. We have had it almost on a weekly basis for the last month! Thank you so much!
That is fantastic! I’m happy to hear that this recipe is now your family’s favorite. Thanks for sharing, Lena.
I followed the recipe exactly, using yeast that is good for another two years. The batter did not rise in the 100 degree oven and the oladi turned into very flat pancakes, instead of the fluffy things I wanted.
Hi Liz, it sounds like maybe something got too hot and deactivated the test. I’m not sure what else it could be.
The next time you make these, if possible would you weigh the flour and let me know. The amounts can vary widely if not weighed with even bigger differences between high protein flowers like King Arthur (my fav) and say White Lily. I know you mentioned that Canadian flour works best but didn’t say why. Any additional info would be appreciated before I give these a whirl. I noticed that one of your reviewers advocated for more buttermilk; it would seem that would make for a more flavorful pancake but would like your thoughts.
thanks
Bill
Hi Bill, I will add this one to my list as one that I need to republish for clarity. I suspect people are adding more buttermilk due to flour differences. Thanks Bill!
Hi again!
I just finished making as per your recipe in your cookbook. We all agree these are better than any “regular” pancake recipe! Love the chewy texture and the fact I can make the batter the night before. Makes for an easier morning. This is now my go to recipe.
We ate these with homemade blueberry sauce vanilla yogurt and maple syrup. Soo good!
I’m so happy you found a new go-to on my blog, Janette! Thank you for your wonderful review!
Love to buy these in my Russian store. But they make them with apples and cherries. So good!!!
My wife and I use as much as 2 cups of shredded — not chopped — apples. To remove excess moisture, we squeeze the apple shreds in a kitchen towel just as when making potato cakes. We save the juice for the liquid in our rye bread. Also, we make a whole batch, then freeze the surplus; they reheat well in our old cast-iron skillet with a lid.
Thanks for sharing your great tips with other readers!
When putting it in the oven to rise, what temperature would you recommend the oven to be at?
Hi Faye, whenever you are working with yeast, you never want the oven to be over 100˚F or it will ruin the yeast. I would suggest heating it to 100˚F.
Love this recipe! My go to oladi recipe. Thanks.
That’s awesome! Thank you 🙂
Hi, I was recommended this blog by a friend for the chocolate cake recipe on your site. I did try it and it turned out amazing. But then this is not why I write. I looked for this recipe, tried it and it was great. Only thing, I didn’t have was yeast and i wanted something instant for my breakfast, so the same measurement i alternated with soda bicarbonate. It was good.
Now I am a fan of your website/blog/instagram…that I am going to try out maximum recipes I can.
Thank you for sharing your experience and your knowledge.
Jyoti
Kuwait / India
Thank you! Do you mean baking soda? I’m so glad you are enjoying my site 🙂
Yes Baking Soda. 🙂
Good Recipe!
Thank you Valya 🙂
Thank you Valya 🙂
Hi!
I am trying out this recipe for breakfast today. However, I recently purchased your cookbook and the recipe I have is quite different than this one one your website. Why is that?
Thanks
Hi Janette, most of the recipes in the cook book are new recipes or updates of older versions we had. Most of the recipes in the cookbook do not live on the blog. I hope that helps.
My mother and grandmother made these pancakes for breakfast every week. 1) No one in Ukraine ever uses water for anything but dissolving yeast. The base for these pancakes is buttermilk. 2) Butter or oil is used to grease the pan not to fry pancakes in it 3) Chopping apples in a blender will give the pancakes an uneven and rough texture: you need to use large cheese greater instead. 4) Packaged Dry Yeast does not always work so if you want to make sure your end result is fluffy dough then you need to use ½ cup of warm 110 F water, 1 tbs of sugar and 1 pack of yeast, mix it and let rise only then blend it into the dough. Dough will take about 1,5-2 hours to rise. 5) To make pancakes even and round, which is practically impossible by just pouring dough on the skillet, use egg rings and fill them with dough by ¾ of the ring, no more than that. The dough further expends during the cooking process. 6) Pancakes should be cooked on med to med-low heat otherwise they will burn before the dough has a chance of expending and cooking through.
The correct proportions for the recipe are:
2 egg
2 cup of whole buttermilk (not skimmed or 1% as fat is important)
3 cups of four (no more than that or the dough may be too chewy)
2-3 tablespoon of sugar, one of which is mixed with yeast
1 packet of active dry yeast
¼ – ½ cups of warm (110F) water
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and grated
¼ teaspoon of salt
Dash of vanilla
Unsalted butter of oil to grease the pan.
This recipe was awesome stop criticizing. I loved the way the were made besides the wait.