Finnish pancakes with Nina Haikara

In the Food Journal series, we will share with you tried and tested recipes from your colleagues at U of T. We start with Finnish pancakes, introduced to us by Nina Haikara, senior communications & external relations officer, department of computer science at the Faculty of Arts Science. 

“This year we celebrate Canada’s 150, but it’s also the year of Finland’s Centennial,” says Haikara, for whom the recipe is a way of continuing a cooking tradition taught to her by her mother. “She made pancakes every weekend growing up in Northern Ontario – maple syrup isn’t a thing in Finland so I guess we ate them the Finnish-Canadian way!” she says.

“I learned the recipe and later found my own deciliter cup at IKEA which makes this recipe easy,” she says. 

The last time Haikara made this recipe was for an old family friend. “Mauno, who was like a grandfather to me, asked me to make him pancakes for lunch three days in a row when he visited in November. He was 85 years old and passed away in January,” she says. “He lived outside of Thunder Bay and could eat pancakes anytime at the Finnish-Canadian restaurant, The Hoito, but he said he liked mine better.”

 Ready to bring this recipe to life? 

Ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 dl all-purpose white flour
• 2 dl milk
• Pinch of salt
• Salted butter for pan frying

This makes a single portion (2-3 pancakes subject to pan size) – multiply per person as needed.

Instructions:

• Whisk egg, milk, flour and salt continue whisking until there are no lumps.
• Melt salted butter on medium heat (adjust accordingly if pan gets too hot).
• Add one full ladle of batter to pan.
• Tilt the pan to smooth the batter to the pan’s edges or inner base. Tip: use a crêpe-style pan with no sides for easy flipping.
• When the batter changes from milky to near-solid, flip. Pancakes should be specked golden and have a slightly thicker, chewier consistency than crêpes.

Serve with fresh berries, jam or make it savory with smoked salmon. For a sweeter variety, dust granular sugar on each finished pancake.“The possibilities are endless!” Haikara says. 

Prep and cooking time: 20 to 30 minutes for 2-3 people.

You should eat this with: “Anyone who likes the option of a sweet or savory brunch. Someone you love,” says Haikara.