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Nalesniki Polish Pancakes

September 15, 2017 by Lois Britton 12 Comments

Readers Rozia and Stan have requested a recipe for Nalesniki, Polish Pancakes. They’ve been on my to do list for some time, so let me bump Nalesniki to the top this week. If American pancakes are your point of comparison, you’ll find the Polish version, closer to the French crepe. They’re very thin and meant to be filled and folded or rolled, not stacked and covered with maple syrup.

Nalesniki with Jam

Nalesniki can be sweet or savory. I can think of a couple of casual restaurants in Poznan that serve them. Pancake Square and Manekin, both serve Nalesniki almost exclusively. As for the savory versions, think of all the things we put in a flour tortilla or flat bread and call it a wrap. This is the same idea, but a very large crepe-like pancake, will be wrapped around the filling, folded into a neat little package to be consumed with a knife and fork. They’re not as portable as wraps. I’ve always found it mesmorizing to watch someone working the the large round grill, expertly spreading the batter, cooking it to perfection, and then folding with great precision. Fillings might include ground beef with cheese and cream sauce or a bolognese and cheese, or kebab meat and fixins. I’ve also added some chopped herbs to the batter and used the Nalesniki as my wrappers for krokiety or croquettes.

Herbed Nalesniki Krokiety Wrappers

A common sweet filling for Nalesniki is jam. Spread the pancake with plum jam, roll it up and you have dessert! Another great idea would be to spread with Nutella and add sliced bananas, fold into a nice rectangle or fold in half and half again for a triangle. Another option would be to thin a soft white cheese like twarog, ricotta, or marscapone with a little cream, add a handful of rasins, and a litte sugar. After wrapping your nalesniki around this sweet cheese filling, you could put it back on the grill to brown the crepe and soften and warm the cheese. You might also try adding half a cup of cocoa powder to the batter to make chocolate pancakes. It’s such a versitle recipe, just waiting for your creative input.

Source: From A Polish Sountry House Kitchen, available on Amazon via my affiliate link

Smacznego!

Lois

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Nalesniki Polish Pancakes

★★★★★ 5 from 3 reviews
  • Author: Polish Housewife
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 60 mins
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
  • Yield: 15 pancakes 1x
  • Cuisine: Polish
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Description

Thin crepe-like pancakes with sweet or savory fillings


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup plain yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1 cup flour
  • pinch salt
  • vegetable oil as needed

Instructions

  1. Combine the yogurt, eggs, water, flour, and salt until smooth
  2. Cover and refrigerate for a minimun of 20 minutes or up to two hours
  3. Brush a small frying pan with oil, place over low heat
  4. When the pan is heated, add about 1/4 cup batter, tilt to help it spread
  5. Cook over low heat for about 2 mnutes
  6. Lift up one edge and flip
  7. Cook for 2 more minutes
  8. Adjust as needed, adding a spoon of water if the batter is too thick, adjust the heat if it’s cooking too fast or too slow
  9. Stack the pancake and cover
  10. Serve with desired filling

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @PolishHousewife on Instagram and hashtag it #polishhousewife

 

Lois Britton

An accountant by trade and a food blogger since 2009, Lois Britton fell in love with Polish cuisine during the years she lived in Poznań, Poland. As the creator of PolishHousewife.com,  she connects readers with traditional Polish recipes. Lois has a graduate certificate in Food Writing and Photography from the USF. She is the author of The Polish Housewife Cookbook, available on Amazon and on her website.

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Filed Under: Polish, Polish Desserts, Polish Mains & Sides

Previous Post: « RG’s Chocolate Pecan Toffee Mousse Tart
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rebecca Esther

    September 15, 2017 at 4:07 am

    I’m looking so forward to making these! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      September 15, 2017 at 6:07 am

      My pleasure; enjoy, Rebecca!

      Reply
  2. Karen Dale Trask

    September 15, 2017 at 6:49 am

    Seeing your email this morning brought back a memory of my mom standing at the stove making nalesniki. We would enjoy them with cottage cheese and jelly I will have to make up a batch this weekend. Thank you for sharing!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      September 15, 2017 at 2:15 pm

      My pleasure, Karen! Smacznego!

      Reply
  3. Barbara Prescott

    September 15, 2017 at 5:29 pm

    My mom would make these on Fridays and also during Lent. Filled with grape jelly, my mouth is watering for some. Brings back wonderful childhood memories.

    Reply
  4. Theresa

    September 15, 2017 at 7:52 pm

    These are one of many favorites of mine, I make them all the time

    Reply
  5. David

    September 16, 2017 at 10:35 pm

    They sound fantastic, Lois – love your ideas for both the sweet and savory fillings.

    Reply
  6. Debbie

    October 4, 2017 at 8:11 pm

    My Polish husband taught me how to make his Polish mom’s pancakes. Almost exactly like this recipe but I don’t add yogurt and use milk instead of water. Delicious with homemade jam.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      October 4, 2017 at 9:01 pm

      I’ll bet they are delicious! How nice to have his mom’s recipe! 🙂

      Reply
  7. Mary Abramczyk

    August 14, 2020 at 10:15 am

    Despite it being my first time making thin pancakes, I did fairly well. Good recipe!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • polishhousewife

      August 14, 2020 at 12:55 pm

      I’m happy to hear it, Mary!

      Reply
  8. Ac

    August 22, 2021 at 4:32 pm

    Hi, I put whole kernel corn in my American pancake batter, fry them in butter til dark golden brown and then pour creamed corn on top with more melted butter. How would this work for the Polish pancakes? Thanks for this lovely recipe!

    Reply

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