Pancakes, Crepes, Palatschinken, Blini, Blinciki, or in Slovak – Palacinky. This is the simple recipe for traditional Slovak Palacinky made my way. Everyone likes theirs differently – this is how I like mine. Very thin and crisp on the edges, with tiny holes in the center.  Fluffy, soft & simply delicious.

Few tips before making Palacinky the way I like them: The amount of flour in the recipe can be slightly adjusted (you can add a tablespoon or two more if needed – but I wouldn’t recommend adding more than that). The whole trick of how to get thin pancakes is – you guessed it – that the batter should be very thin. Do not add more flour than needed. Another one is a very hot pan when you make your pancakes. Allow your non-stick pan pre-heat for at least 5 minutes before pouring the batter on it. And remember – the first pancake never turns out great (but you can still eat it while making the rest 🙂 I call the first one the tester – you can add more milk or flour based on how your first pancake turns out.

Because I was pretty confused about the differences between the pancakes in different parts of the world I did a little reading and research on how they differ from country to country in ingredients and method of preparation and this is what I found out:

• Crepes – originated in France, in the northwest region called Britanny, are made from the unyeasted batter that usually requires a couple of hours (1-3) to rest before using, Crepes are very thin and flat and they can be filled with sweet or savory fillings. When filled with savory fillings, they’re called Galettes. Galettes are usually made from buckwheat flour so they are naturally gluten-free

• Pancakes – most widely popular in the U.S., pancakes are made with a raising agent added to the batter (baking powder/ baking soda) what results in thicker and fluffier pancakes. The batter itself is much thicker than one for crepes or palacinky

• Blini, Blinchiki & Blintzes – originated in Russia, these Russian-style pancakes belong to the most popular and most-eaten dishes in Russia. Versions of Blinchiki are widely enjoyed in Eastern European countries as well. Often confusing, the main difference between the two is that Blini are (usually) made from yeasted dough and they are very small (bite-size). Blini are usually topped with savory fillings like sour cream, caviar, or smoked salmon. Blinchiki are bigger in size and made without yeasts. They are thin & flat and most similar to crepes. Traditionally and most commonly, they are filled with sweetened cheese with raisins and they are served rolled & folded. They’re often pan-fried after they’re filled and rolled and back in the days they used to be baked in a Russian-style oven. Blintzes, on the other hand, are Jewish cigar-shaped pancakes and similarly like Blinchiki, filled with a sweetened farmer’s cheese or fruit jam

• Palacinky & Palatschinken – Slovak & Central European version of Crepes or Pancakes.  The main difference between Palatschinken and Crepes is that the batter for crepes should rest for a couple of hours while the batter for Palacinky can be used straight away after mixed

Traditional & most favorite fillings for Palacinky are:

• apricot/ strawberry jam or thick fruit butters like lekvar (usually Plum Butter lekvar)
• Poppy Seed Filling (a combination of grind poppies cooked in milk with sugar, lemon zest & cinnamon)
• Tvaroh – Slovak version of farmer’s cheese combined with sugar and cinnamon
• Seasonal or Preserved Fruit – like Cherries, Raspberries, Strawberries
• Chocolate, Walnuts, Raisins, Rum or a combination of all

A famous Hungarian version of Palacinky is the Gundel Pancake made with ground walnuts, cinnamon, orange peel, rum, raisins, and chocolate. Amazing, delicious, worth the calories 🙂 Recipe for that one next time. Now, let’s make palacinky

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INGREDIENTS
(for ~ 10 Pancakes)

2 Eggs, whole

250g Milk

100g Water

150g Flour

20g Sugar

10g Oil

5g Salt

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METHOD

1. In a mixing bowl whisk together 2 whole Eggs with 20g (~ 2 Tablespoons) of Sugar and 5g (~ 1 Teaspoon) of Salt until frothy, light and pale in color
2. Pour in 250g of Hot Milk and keep whisking for another minute
3. Add ~ 150g of Flour (all at once) and whisk until smooth. Add 150g of lukewarm water and 10g of neutral-tasting Oil like canola or sunflower oil and whisk until fully incorporated. Let the mixture sit in the bowl for 5 minutes
4. Heat up a  non-stick pan for at least 5 minutes until really hot. Grease with a tiny bit of butter and pour a scoop of the well-mixed batter on the pan. Tilt the pan to spread the batter evenly on the whole pan surface creating a thin pancake layer. Cook until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Repeat with all the batter then fill your warm pancakes with your favorite filling and enjoy 

   Dobrú chuť,
   Lenka