Syrniki (Russian Cheese Pancakes)!
Syrniki, also known as Sirniki or Farmers’s Cheese Pancakes, is a popular cheese pancake in Russia and Ukraine. You can enjoy them as a snack, a dessert, or a special weekend breakfast.
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 150 g homemade cheese* see the notes
- 150 g cream cheese
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg +1 egg yolk
- 50 g all-purpose flour adjust as needed
- 2 tbsp raisins optional
- Flour for dusting as needed
- Oil for frying
- Honey for serving
Instructions
- Place the cheese in a large bowl and mix it with a fork, so that there are no large lumps left. Add the egg, egg yolk, sugar, and salt.
- Mix everything thoroughly until smooth.
- Add the flour and mix well until you have a smooth batter. The batter should be sticky, but not runny. If too runny, add more flour but the minimum amount to handle the batter, not more.
- Fold in raisins if using.
- Rest the batter in the fridge for 10 to 30 minutes. Rested cheese batter is easy to handle, especially in the summer.
- Dust generously a cutting board with flour. Spoon the batter onto the dusted surface. Drizzle some flour on top of it and shape it into a pancake. Use just enough flour to keep your dough from sticking. You can shape a few pancakes at a time, as many as will fit your pan.
- Heat the pan or a griddle over medium-high and grease generously with butter and/or oil. Carefully lift the pancake with a spatula and place it gently on the hot surface of the pan. Fry the pancakes for about 2 minutes until a golden crust appears. Flip and fry the other side.
- Be careful, even if the pancakes are browned, it doesn’t mean that they are done and they must be heated all the way through. Adjust the heat as needed so that they don’t burn.
- Alternatively, you can bake them after they are browned on both sides. Place them on a baking tray and bake them in a preheated oven (170C) for about 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer to a platter and serve warm with your favorite topping. Enjoy!
Notes
Farmer’s cheese isn't available in Japan, so in this recipe, I used homemade fresh cheese combined with cream cheese. You can also make them with other varieties of cheese such as quark, ricotta, mascarpone, or paneer.