How to make Lenten mini pancakes, Lipetsk ‘bobyshki’ (RECIPE)

Bobyshki are considered a regional culinary specialty of the Lipetsk region, located 400 km south of Moscow. Each family has its own recipe, and there are certain features that make the dish unique.

Bobyshki are sweet little pancakes or buns that are especially popular during Lent. For many, they are now a childhood memory, when grandmothers used to make a hearty breakfast.

The traditional base of bobyshki is the broth that remains after the millet grits are boiled. Besides flour and yeast, the dough usually contains nothing but salt and sugar. The dough has to infuse the entire night. The mini pancakes were traditionally baked in a wood-fired oven.

One might think that it was convenient in everyday life to make them, and it was a way to use the broth and not just throw it away. The women made porridge for dinner and used the rest of the broth to make the dough. In the morning they quickly put the bobyshki in the oven - breakfast for the family was ready.

A second feature is that they are small in size. Baked in the oven they are like small buns; in the pan they are mini pancakes.

The third feature is the sweet topping. Since the dough is lean and not oily, it is the sweetness that imparts the taste to the dish. In the olden days, the cream was made from hemp seed and sugar. Another popular variant of the sauce is halva syrup. In later versions, cocoa powder is added to the sauce to give a chocolate flavor. Anyway, the sauce is prepared in advance. Hot bobyshki are laid out in a large dish and poured on top of the sweet dressing.

In preparing bobyshki, I tried to take into account its main traditional features, but adapted to modern conditions and available products. I respected the proportions. Broth of millet and flour - one to one. The batter turned out to be a little liquidy, thicker than for traditional pancakes. 

After trying to bake the bobyshki both in the oven and in the pan (you’ll see them in photos), I chose the latter as the best way of cooking. In the oven, the bobyshki came out as spongy buns. My kids liked them as a sort of small panini with a variety of fillings.

For the dressing, I use a berry kissel. The bobyshki, which are quite dry on their own, soak up the sauce and become soft and juicy.

I served them up a little bit differently than the traditional manner. Instead of a large communal dish, I used individual bowls. In the end, it turned out to be a dessert version garnished with fresh berries and seeds. 

Ingredients for 6-8 servings:

For bobyshki:

• Flour - 350 g
• Millet - 75 g 
• Water - 750 ml (or 400 ml of millet broth)
• Yeast - 5 g
• Sugar - 2 tbsps
• Salt - 2/3 tbsps
• Vegetable oil

For kissel:

• Raspberry - 300 g
• Water - 500 ml
• Sugar - 3 - 6 tbsps (to taste)
• Starch - 3 tsps

Preparation:

Bobyshki

1. Pour the millet groats with water into a pot and boil for about 40 minutes with a cover on top. During this time, the groats should swell and cook thoroughly.

2. Strain the white broth through a sieve. I got 400 ml of broth. Cool the broth.

3. Add the sugar, yeast, salt and flour into the warm broth. Add the liquid viscous dough. Cover with a lid or clingfilm and place in the refrigerator overnight or for at least for 7 hours.

4. The next day, the dough will rise and bubble up. While it doesn't flow, it won’t be easy to work with your hands either; so I used two spoons.

5. To adhere to the authentic baking method, I prepared my bobyshki in the oven at 200℃ for about 15 minutes. I measured each out by tablespoons of 18 g. 

6. These turned out to be buns that can be eaten with any fillings. 

7. My favorite method, however, is baking them like pancakes in a pan. I cook on a ceramic pan with a no-stick surface using very little vegetable oil. I formed the pancakes with teaspoons. Then I baked them on low heat, so that the buns wouldn’t burn; but it was just enough time for them to bake. Finally, turn them over with a wooden spatula.

8. Bobyshki are puffy and spongy, but not very soft.

9. Place your hot mini pancakes in serving bowls and cover them with kissel or another favorite sauce. Wait until they are drenched.

10. Serve with berries, seeds or nuts.

Kissel

1. Place the berries with 450 ml of water in a pot and bring to a boil. Add sugar and let boil for 5 minutes. You will get compote. Remove the berries from the compote.

2. Stir the starch in 50 ml of cold water using a whisk until obtaining homogeneous consistency. Slowly pour the starch liquid into the berry liquid, continuously stirring the mass with the whisk. Let it boil. 

3. Keep on whisking the kissel all the way. When the kissel becomes thick, take it off the burner.

4. Warm kissel has a liquid consistency, and becomes denser when cooled. Use this warm kissel as a sauce. 

READ MORE: The ultimate guide to cooking syrniki (RECIPE)