Syrniki, Slavic Farmers Cheese Pancakes

10 minutes prep 20 minutes active cooking 30 minutes total
Makes 4 - 6 servings

Last year...

a customer came into the store every week and bought several pounds of Gina Maria Farmers Cheese. Curious, I finally asked her what she was making, and she answered, “syrniki.” My blank look prompted her to pull up a video on her phone of women shaping and frying the Eastern European cheese pancakes. She gave me some tips for making them, and I took home some of the cheese and cooked a batch. I was hooked.

While cooks in Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, and other Slavic cultures typically use butter, our syrniki cook in extra virgin olive oil. We’ve streamlined the traditional recipe, which calls for shaping the batter into cakes and rolling them in flour before cooking, and just spoon dollops of the soft batter directly into the pan.

~ Jim Dixon, founder Wellspent and Real Good Food

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

  • 1/4 cup of AP flour
  • 2 tablespoons of superfine or powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons of baking powder
  • To serve Jam and Greek-style yogurt or sour cream

From our shop

1 pound of  Russian Style Fresh Farmer Cheese
$7.00– Willows - California
Out of stock

2  Eggs - Farm Fresh
$8.50– Cloverdale - Oregon
Out of stock

1/2 teaspoon of  Kosher Sea Salt, Wellspent
$9.00– Gossen Island - Norway
Out of stock

2 tablespoons of  Novo Frantoio
$27.00– Tuscany - Italy

Equipment

From the kitchen

  • 1 Food Processor
  • 1 Skillet
  • 1 Mixing Bowl
  • 1 Spatula
  • Measuring Cups
  • Measuring Spoons

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Use a food processor to break up the cheese by pulsing briefly a few times.

Step 2

Add 2 eggs and pulse to blend, then scape into a bowl.

Step 3

Blend in 1/4 cup flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Step 4

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Use 2 spoons to form golf-ball size balls, slide them into the hot oil, and gently flatten them to about 3/4 inch thick discs.

Step 5

Cook for a few minutes, then gently lift the edge of the first pancake to check browning. If brown, gently flip and cook for another few minutes. The cooked pancakes can be held in a warm over while you cook the rest of the batter. Serve warm with jam and Greek-style yogurt or sour cream.

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