I almost don’t want to write this because these little pancakes have been my antisocial butts way to make friends for the last two years. But they are so good and they’ve been so popular it’s only fair that I share it. Don’t worry, you’ll still always find them at any event I’m at, I love making them especially when I have my little period (as period as you can get in the Outlands) cooking setup.

I can’t make them out here in the sandbox so this blog is going to be mostly without pictures until I can get home. I’m sorry about that but trust me, this ones worth it.

So, syrniki are delicious little cheese pancakes that can be either sweet or savory. There are about a billion recipes online but I’m going to add mine to the mix with a little history thrown in for good measure.

So, as far as I can tell no one really knows for sure who first came up with syrniki or when. Many Slavic and non-Slavic cultures have a version and like so much food, they were an oral tradition, but it’s pretty much agreed to be centuries old and the ingredients are very simple, everyday staples. I will note here that many people believe the origin of the cakes to be from where is now Ukraine. I’ve been looking and I will continue to dig for more solid historical information.

However, simply, the entomology of the word сырники alone can lead us to believe they were made in period as it is made up of the word сыр which means simply cheese in Russian without a designation as to the kind of cheese but сырники is usually translated to cottage cheese cake. Russian did not give cottage cheese it’s own name until about the 19th century though other cheeses had their own modifiers. Fascinating, I know.

A lot of the reason that they have enjoyed such popularity through the years is because of their simple and relatively cheap ingredients and how easy they are to make. Another reason for their popularity is that they can be savory or sweet depending on what you choose to pair them with, which I’ll get into later.

Now, I said earlier that the ingredients are very simple and they are, but if you’re state side, you may have some trouble finding the cheese. It is not super common here and the type does matter. Today, the cheese is usually referred to as Russian farmers cheese or творог or you may be able to find it stateside as quark Or Amish farmers cheese. There are also a lot of recipes that can be found to make your own. I’m not there yet, but if I ever make some, you guys will be the first to know. (Note: Do NOT use state-side cottage cheese from stores. It is not the same and you will be sad.)

Mostly, stateside, you will find them in 1lb tubs like this which is perfect because the recipe calls for one pound.

My first experience of them was very modern actually. I had never heard of them before but my husband I stayed with some friends in New Jersey, one of whom happens to be Russian, and she made syrniki for us. I was a bit skeptical right up until I had one, then I was hooked.

So if you are too, I get it, but trust me when I say they are delicious, and they are super great for events. They are easy to make, they keep well, and they have a solid amount of proteins and sugars to keep you going during those long events. So, on to the recipe!

Syrniki ingredients

1 lb farmers cheese

2 eggs

~2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tablespoon salt

1/2 cup flour

Butter

See how simple? In a pinch you can substitute other things for butter, but I wouldn’t, it’ll change the taste. Also note that duck eggs are a delicious substitute. You’ll notice that I have flour twice, I recommend the 1/2 cup be placed in a wide shallow bowl separate from everything else. It’s for coating the syrniki before cooking.

Anywho… like most recipes you want to mix all your wet ingredients separate from your dry ingredients First, you want to put your cheese in a largish bowl and beat it. I find a fork works best but however you want to do it. Next, mix in the eggs. Doing these two separately gets the consistency a lot smoother, promise. I’ve gotten excited and did it together before. They were ok, but not as good and it was definitely messier.

Next, you can mix all the dry ingredients together before blending them into the cheese, but until you find your sweet spot with the flour and your climate I recommend against it. The flour is really only to help hold the cheese together and you don’t want too much.

Blend the sugar into the cheese and then the salt until it’s smooth and even and there are no clumps.

Next is the flour. I start with a cup and add it slowly as I mix. You want to keep mixing flour into the cheese until it’s about the consistency of fairly tacky bread dough. You want it to stick to your fingers but not a lot. Is that vague enough? You want to be thick enough that you can roll it into balls. That will take anywhere from 1 1/2 cups to 2 cups depending on your climate and elevation. This part will definitely be better with pictures…

Once you have the right consistency you can start heating your pan/griddle. I almost always use propane or a wood fire so I don’t really have a good temperature to give you. You want the heat to be between medium and high. Again, it will depend on your environment but I’m usually squarely in the middle.

While your pan/griddle is heating, get out your excess flour. Sprinkle it on whatever prep space you’ve decided to use and coat your hands. Then you’ll scoop out a tablespoon sized amount of dough and you can either drop it in the flour or just use the flour on your hands to help it stick together. You want to make it roughly ball shaped then flatten it. Think of it as forming thick dollar pancakes.

Once you have them formed and the pan is ready, add a tablespoon of butter to the pan and place the syrniki evenly in the pan. You want to give them two to four minutes per side. The golden rule here is golden brown and done through the middle. The amount this makes will depend on how big and thick you choose to make yours, but I usually get about 25 per batch.

Syrniki can be either sweet or savory so I always like to serve them with sour cream or sweetened condensed milk. Usually I do Both and let people choose. There is a recipe to make the medieval version of both but I haven’t tried it yet so that will have to wait for another day. I also like to serve them with traditional икра (caviar) which is what you see in the upper left, but that is VERY salty and not everyone cares for it so, choose your battles.

These are always a huge hit. Literally they have gotten me invites to camps and events and have been wonderful conversation starters. Plus, they are easy and delicious so I highly recommend giving them a go.

Please note, I’ve never written down a recipe before really so if you see something I missed or something doesn’t make sense, please let me know.