This recipe has been in my family for years. I remember my mother making them for my sisters and I when we were little. They are a little bit tricky (easy to overcook!), but they are a yummy change from plain old pancakes! Finnish pancakes are thin and buttery. I've never had a proper crepe, but I feel as though these pancakes are similar to crepes. My kids call them roll-up pancakes because we forgo silverware to roll them up and eat them with our hands.
My great-grandmother was a first generation American. Her parents immigrated here from Finland. This recipe came over with them and has been passed down through the ladies of the family as we make them for our own families.
FINNISH PANCAKES.
INGREDIENTS.
3/4 cup flour
3/4 cup milk
4 eggs
Put all of the ingredients into a blender and mix well. The sides of the blender will probably need to be scraped to ensure that there are no lumps left in the batter.
Pre-heat the griddle on medium heat. The batter is very thin, so it is best to pour it onto a hot pan so it begins to cook right away. Pour the batter slowly into rounds that are about palm-sized. Watch as the color darkens slightly as the batter dries, starting at the outside of the pancake and moving toward the middle. Flip the pancakes as soon as only the middle still shows the wet soft yellow color of the uncooked batter. It will only be a few seconds before the edges start to lift ever so slightly from the pan. Remove from the griddle. The pancake should be pale yellow all over, with no browning. Be sure to butter the griddle in between each batch.
You really want to catch the pancakes before they brown at all. Once they brown they lose some of their uniqueness and become difficult to roll up. I've been making these for years, and I still get distracted by the kids and let them cook too long! They cook extremely quickly.
This recipe makes about 30 palm-sized pancakes. Serve warm with syrup and jam! These are extra-special fun because, as I mentioned, they don't require any silverware. Just roll them up and dip! Or alternately, put jam in the center and then roll them up. Of course, if manners are required, forks are welcome to the party. Depending on how thin and buttery yours turn out, it may be difficult to coax them onto the fork. Finnish pancakes are wonderfully kid friendly due to their mild taste and the whole eating-with-the-hands experience!
From my family to yours, Happy Eating!
