Quick Olady - Mini Buttermilk Pancakes

Olady (pronounced [aladyi]) is one of many Russian traditional flour treats, usually served for breakfast. There are classic and simple olady. Classic are made with yeast, and simple are made with baking soda and buttermilk or sour cream. Today's recipe is fast and simple, the final product is light and airy, and just begs to be eaten. Sounds good? Let's go!

What you need:

2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 tsp Kosher salt
2-3 tsp sugar (or more)
1 cup & 2 tbsp flour
1 leveled tsp baking soda
6+ tbsp olive oil
Feeds 5-6 people
Preparation time 30-35 minutes
Non-stick or cast-iron skillet

Method:

Whisk eggs, add buttermilk, salt, sugar, and mix all together. Add flour and beat with a wooden spoon until even. Sprinkle 1 tsp of baking soda over your batter, and mix in (do not beat!) for about 1 minute. Let the batter stand until it forms little bubbles (the product of reaction between buttermilk and baking soda).

Heat skillet on high heat, reduce heat to medium, and pour in oil. Scoop out about 1 tbsp batter for each pancake and drop it on the skillet - wiggle gently with your spoon to help batter  spread evenly.

Watch your pancakes, do not let them burn (it can happen easily!). The heat should be not too high to burn the pancakes and leave them raw inside, but it should be high enough to let pancakes bubble and become golden and baked through.

 When one side is nicely golden, and cute bubbles are well formed on the raw side, flip pancakes over, one by one, hooking them on a fork right on the edge. Olady absorb oil, so add some more if necessary. They will rise and expand, but when transferred to a serving dish, they will loose some of their puffiness.

Arrange ready pancakes on a heat-proof serving dish lined with paper towels, to absorb excess oil. This recipe will yield a lot of pancakes, so your serving dish is better be big.

Eat pancakes immediately or you will have to heat them up in the oven (that's why you need a a heat-proof dish). Serve with sour cream, jams, syrups or honey. Add fresh fruit if you wish. For savory variations, ham, bacon, salami, cream cheese, any soft cheese will go well.

I couldn't help but incert another picture. I tore one of  olady so you could see how porous and airy they turned out this time. Looks (and tastes) perfect. 

Bon appetit, mes amis!


Notes:
Olady is a plural form, singular is oladya or oladushek.
The best olady, as well as bliny (thin pancakes similar to French crepes) and oven-baked things, are prepared on a  cast-iron skillet. It has a thick bottom and excellent heat retention qualities. My mom had a few shallow cast-iron skillets in her kitchen, they didn't have handles, and she used a special device to handle them called ukhvat. I googled this device and, to my amazement,  ukhvat is still being sold in Russia!