Blinis

Blinis come from Russia. Traditionally, these small yeast pancakes are made with buckwheat flour, which gives them a tasty and unusual flavor. This recipe preserves that tradition. You can also serve these pancakes with caviar.

3/4 cup buckwheat flour
generous 2/3 cup strong white bread flour
1/6 oz sachet active dry yeast
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups tepid milk
2 eggs, 1 whole and 1 separated
vegetable oil, for brushing

to serve
sour cream
smoked salmon

1. Sift both flours into a large, warmed bowl. Stir in the yeast and salt. Beat in the milk, the whole egg, and egg yolk until smooth. Cover the bowl and let stand in a warm place for 1 hour.
2. Put the egg white in a spotlessly clean bowl and whisk until soft peaks form. Fold into the batter. Brush a heavy-bottom skillet with oil and heat over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, pour enough of the batter onto the surface to make a blini about the size of a saucer.
3. When the bubbles rise, turn the blini over with a spatula and cook the other side until light brown. Wrap a clean dish towel to keep warm while you cook the remaining blinis. Serve the warm blinis with sour cream and soaked salmon.

Makes 8 blinis