Polish pancakes with yeast (racuchy) are light and fluffy, low in sugar and easy to make. Serve with a simple fruit compote (recipe below).
Polish pancakes, ‘racuchy’, are as easy to make as American style pancakes, except they require a little more preparation time. This is because they contain yeast, which needs a bit of time to start working. But the end result is absolutely worth the wait!
Polish pancakes ingredients
This recipe uses a handful of ingredients which include flour, milk, fast action/instant yeast, one egg, a little sugar and salt. It takes about 4 minutes to make the batter!
Step-by-step recipe instructions
Start by preheating your oven to its lowest temperature (after 10 minutes switch it off).
1.In a bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk by whisking the mixture for about 30 seconds.
2. Pour in the beaten egg along with the flour, add a pinch of salt and stir for 2-3 minutes.
3. Cover with a cloth and place the bowl in the centre of the oven (preheated, then switched off!) for 50-60 minutes until doubled in size. During this time the mixture will expand nicely and lots of air bubbles will form inside.
4. Remove the batter from the oven and fry the pancakes.
How to fry yeast pancakes
There is no need to stir the pancake mixture after removing it from the oven. Simply heat up about 2 tablespoons of the oil and start making the pancakes.
It is very important that you fry these pancakes over a low heat! They need about 2.5 minutes on each side to rise and cook through. If the temperature is too high they might brown too quickly while still being a little undercooked. If you cook them slowly they will rise nicely and become fluffy.
It is also important not to overcrowd the pan!
For best results serve immediately.
Serving suggestions
You can make a quick fruit compote using berries (I chose raspberries but you can use any berries) to serve, either hot or cold, with these pancakes. To make the fruit compote simply cook the fruit with a little maple syrup and vanilla bean paste/extract for about 5 minutes until soft (check out also my easy tips for making a fruit compote). Pour liberally over the pancakes and enjoy! (I also served quinoa pancakes with a similar fruit compote).
These pancakes also taste delicious with this easy chocolate sauce with raspberries as well as orange pancake sauce. They can also be served with jam or icing sugar.
Top tips
- Ensure the yeast has dissolved completely in the milk before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
- The milk should be warm, not hot.
- Placing the pancake mixture in a preheated oven (in the centre) is the best and quickest way of ensuring it expands and fills with air bubbles.
- Make the berry sauce before frying the pancakes so you can serve them immediately.
- It's important to fry these pancakes over a low heat so they have enough time to cook and rise and don't brown too quickly. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Add a little oil into the pan for every batch (1-2 tablespoons each time). Once cooked you can place the pancakes on top of a paper towel sheet for about 30 seconds to get rid of excess oil (this is optional).
- Best served immediately. Leftover pancakes can be covered, refrigerated and reheated in the microwave later.
- Not suitable for freezing.
You might also like
You might also like my Polish apple pancakes with no added sugar (made without yeast). Check out also Polish cheese crepes, mushroom crepes (krokiety) and well as Polish rogaliki crescent cookies (made with yeast).
Keep in touch!
If you have made these yeast pancakes I'd love to know how they turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Recipe
Polish Pancakes with Yeast (Racuchy)
Equipment
- Large non-stick pan
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups+1tbsp (225 g) all-purpose/plain flour 7.94oz
- 1 cup (240 ml) warm milk
- 1⅙ teaspoons fast action yeast approx. 4 g
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 large egg lightly beaten, room temperature
- Pinch of salt
- 5 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the compote
- 1½ cups (200 g) fresh or frozen berries I used raspberries
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to its lowest temperature (after 10 minutes switch it off).
- In a large bowl dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm milk by whisking the mixture for about 30 seconds. Pour in the beaten egg along with the flour, add a pinch of salt and stir for 2-3 minutes. Cover the bowl with a cloth and place in the centre of the oven for 50-60 minutes (after you’ve switched it off) until doubled in size.
- In a large pan heat up 1-2 tablespoons of oil, then lower the heat and drop spoonfuls of the batter into the pan (without overcrowding it). The batter will be sticky. (Dip the spoon in a cup of water to prevent the mixture sticking to it. Repeat for each pancake). Fry the pancakes over a low heat for about 2½ minutes on each side. Serve immediately.
- To make the fruit compote place the fruit, maple syrup and vanilla in a saucepan and cook over a medium heat for 5 minutes or until the fruit softens and starts releasing juice. (Make the compote before you make the pancakes). Serve hot or cold.
Notes
- Ensure the yeast has dissolved in the milk completely before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
- The milk should be warm, not hot.
- Placing the pancake mixture in the centre of a preheated oven is the best way of ensuring it expands and fills with air bubbles. See Instructions for more details.
- Do not stir the batter after it's doubled in size.
- Make the berry sauce before frying the pancakes so you can serve them immediately.
- It's important to fry these pancakes over a low heat so they have enough time to cook and rise and don't brown too quickly. Do not overcrowd the pan.
- Add a little oil into the pan for every batch (1-2 tablespoons each time). Once cooked you can place the pancakes on top of a paper towel sheet for about 30 seconds to get rid of excess oil (this is optional).
- Best served immediately. Leftover pancakes can be covered, refrigerated and reheated in the microwave later.
- Not suitable for freezing.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Caroline
These were lovely! I found they didn’t need any extra oil to cook in a non-stick pan, otherwise they got a little greasy. I really enjoyed these pancakes and my kids devoured them! Next time I will go the extra step and make the fruit compote. 5 stars!
Monika
Thank you for letting me know! My own kids love these pancakes too. If you ever want to make them again and they are a little greasy place them on top of a paper towel for about 30 seconds. That should help absorb excess oil. I'll add a note about this in the post.
Eva
Could I make these overnight and fry in morning?
Monika
I haven't tried it so can't be sure but my instinct tells me it's not a good idea. I imagine the dough might loose some of the air bubbles that have formed as it was rising so the pancakes may be stodgy. But I really can't say, sorry.
Zosia
Brought back a flood of wonderful memories of my grandmother frying these up on a chilly morning!
Recipe is perfect..
Monika
Glad these brought back good memories for you! Thanks for letting me know:)
Jill
Yum!! Made them for brekkie on the weekend. Absolutely delicious.
Monika
So glad you liked these! And thank you for your feedback:)
Katy
Love these! Like Goldilocks pancakes - not too big or too small!
Monika
Thank you, I like that idea, I should have called them Goldilocks pancakes!
Cat | Curly's Cooking
I love how fluffy and light these look - yum!
Monika
Thanks Cat!
Choclette
Love these Monika. I've not come across Polish pancakes before. They are very much on my to do list now. Your raspberry compote looks pretty awesome too. What a delicious accompaniment. Thanks for sharing with #CookBlogShare 😀
Monika
Thanks Choclette! I think every country has their own version of pancakes, I mean flour and milk are just such a staple in most places. There are many other variants of pancakes in Poland, I might make some soon.
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
These sound delicious! Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner party. Can't wait to see what you'll bring this week!
Monika
Thank you Helen!
DeeDee
Oh these look good!! I might need breakfast for dinner😊
Monika
Thanks! I sometimes do that!
Balvinder
Oh, wow! These look wonderful! Monika, I sent you an email that I am not able to link my post to the linky. I changed my eamil address but the photo does not get loaded. Does anyone else experienced this problem.?
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Monika
Hi Balvinder, no one has said they've been having problems linking up so this is strange. I replied to your message you sent through google+ which I got in my email box, asking for the recipe link you were having trouble with, but never got a reply. Did you get that message?
Kat (The Baking Explorer)
They look so fluffy and delicious, I need to try them!
Monika
Do! They are really easy to make!