Finnish pancakes are something to get addicted about. They are thin crepe-like pancakes and can be enjoyed both sweet or savory. Traditionally served with strawberry jam and whipped cream.
These pancakes are called in Finnish:
- Lettu
- Lätty
- Räiskäle
- Ohukainen
In singular form, in plural they are letut, lätyt, räiskäleet, ohukaiset.
Do not confuse these with the oven pancake, pannukakku, (or kropsu), which is famous, but the batter is baked in the oven on a sheet pan as a thick rectangular pancake.
Pancakes are a staple food in many Finnish households, including mine. Kids love them and always ask to eat pancakes as a snack, lunch, dinner, or evening meal. Pancakes are even served in Finnish schools. Thursdays are traditionally pea soup days, and pancakes are served as a dessert with strawberry jam and whipped cream.
One traditional Finnish dish is also spinach pancakes. Some frozen thawed spinach is mixed in the batter and served as lunch with lingonberry jam and mashed potatoes. Spinach pancakes are also a favorite lunch among students in Finland. -and yes, a free lunch is served in schools.
Ingredients and replacements
- Flour. Regular medium wheat flour is best. It is also common here in Finland to use half amount barley flour. Especially if we fry them in a muurikka pan.
- Milk. Whole milk makes the best-tasting pancakes. For a milk-free version, use plant milk.
- Eggs.
- Sugar. Sugar can be replaced with maple syrup or other sweeteners.
- Salt. A pinch of salt elevates the flavors.
- Other. My favorite addition is to have some vanilla sugar and cardamom in the batter.
Image Instructions
- Make sure you have a big enough bowl. Break the eggs and whisk them around for a minute. Add half the amount of the milk.
- Add in the dry ingredients and stir around. Then add the rest of the milk and mix to get a smooth consistency. Let the batter rest for at least 10 minutes. 30 min is preferred.
- Warm up your pan to medium heat. Add about ½-1 teaspoon of butter or oil to the pan and pour ⅓ cup of batter into the pan.
- Flip the pancake when it has a good brown color and the top is firm.
Serving suggestions
As a sweet version we always eat these with strawberry jam. It is not uncommon to serve other berry jams, especially it they are self-preserved. For example wild raspberry jam or something called kuningatarhillo; queen jam that is boiled from wild raspberries and blueberries.
When making your order at suomikauppa, don't forget to add the *finnish strawberry jam in your basket, since our strawberries have such an original sweet flavor.
Whipped cream is also a must-have when serving as a dessert. Vanilla ice cream is also an option.
Pancakes can also be eaten as a savory option. My favorite filling is skagenröra, yes we love this Swedish origin prawn filling even in Finland. As an alternative, instead of prawns add some smoked salmon-such a delicacy to roll in your pancakes.
Often asked questions
Use a gluten-free flour mix.
You get lovely bubble patterns by frying the dough at a pretty high temperature and putting a generous amount of butter, like one teaspoon, on the pan. Smaller ones are made in a Teflon pan with a smaller amount of fat.
Store them in the refrigerator covered for up to three days.
Pancake batter is perfect for making ahead. You can store a ready-made batter in the fridge for a couple of days covered. Make sure to give it a quick whisk before using it. Add in more milk if it is too thick.
Other Finnish pancake recipes you might like
Finnish pancakes
Ingredients
- 3 eggs
- 3 cups milk
- 1,5 cups wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoon butter or oil for frying
Instructions
- Break the eggs in a bowl. Whisk them a moment.
- .Add in half the amount of milk, flour, sugar, and salt. Mix these together.Add in the rest of the milk and mix.
- The batter can look clumpy at first but it will become smooth when you stir it around. Do not whisk it too much so it does not become chewy when frying.
- Let the dough rest for at least 10 minutes. The longer the better
- Heat up your pan and put a small amount of butter or oil. Pour about ⅓ cup of batter into the pan to make medium-sized pancakes. To make thin pancakes tilt the pan after you have poured your dough
- The pancake is ready to flip when it has some brown color and the top has firmeded up
Notes
You can add 1 teaspoon of vanilla, cardamom, or cinnamon to the batter as extra flavor. Serve with a berry jam and whipped cream. The batter can be made ahead of time, up to 2 days ahead.
You can store ready-made pancakes for up to 3 days in the fridge, well covered, so they don't dry. In European measurements:
- 3 eggs
- 6 dl milk
- 3 dl flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon butter
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