Plättar - Traditional Scandinavian Recipe - 196 Flavors

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Plättar are delicious Swedish pancakes that are very popular in Scandinavia, especially in Sweden and Finland. They are also known as Swedish pancakes. Their particularity lies in their light texture, their rich flavor and the small holes they present on the surface. They are usually eaten for dessert, accompanied by whipped cream and jam.

What are plättar?

Plättar are small, thin pancakes that are very popular in Sweden and Finland and are made of flour, butter, milk, salt and sugar. However, their texture differs from that of traditional crepes or pancakes.

Plättar tend to spread out during cooking. This is why they are usually prepared in a special pan called plättpanna. It is a multi crepe maker allowing to cook 8 small pancakes at a time.

These small traditional Swedish pancakes measure about 4 to 5 inches (between 10 cm to 12 cm) in diameter. If the pancakes are wider, they are called pannkakor.

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Swedes love pancakes. Traditionally, plättar and pannkakor are accompanied by whipped cream and jam which is replaced in summer by red fruits or cranberries.

What is the difference between crepes and Swedish pancakes?

In France, crepes are the emblem of candlemas. Traditionally, they are prepared with wheat flour and are flavored with aromas such as vanilla, orange blossom, rum or Calvados.

Swedish pancakes look like crepes. However, in terms of taste, the two are different. Indeed, Swedish pancakes contain more eggs and butter than traditional crepes.

The batter is more liquid and tends to spread when cooked, hence the importance of using a multi crepe maker (plättpanna) to cook them to ensure that the pancakes are the same size. In addition, plättar are richer than crepes because they contain more fat.

Pancake Day

In Sweden, there is a tradition of eating pancakes with jam on Thursdays at lunchtime. This pancake meal serves as the main meal.

This tradition is widely adopted by Swedish schools. Also, children look forward to “pancake day”, commonly known as pannkakor day.

Sometimes the pancake breakfast is preceded by a pea soup called ärtsoppa. But some schools only serve pancakes with jam (pannkakor med sylt) because children are not particularly fond of pea soup.

What is the origin of Swedish pancakes?

The term platt means flat in Swedish. Also, the term plättar would seem to derive from it.

Today, pancakes are widely distributed throughout the world. Pancakes (in Swedish: pannkakor) have existed in Sweden since the dawn of time.

If crepes first appeared in the twelfth century in France in Brittany, Sweden pancakes were first mentioned in a source by Olaus Petri in the 1400s. At the time, it was particularly complicated to make traditional crepes since it was necessary to use a frying pan that had 3 feet.

Crepes and pancakes in the world

In the United States and Canada, pancakes are usually eaten for brunch, accompanied by butter and maple syrup.

Palačinky (or palatschinken) are light and thin crepes widely spread in Central and Eastern Europe, especially in Macedonia in the southern Balkans. Palačinky can be eaten hot or cold, sweet or savory (or plain) as a main course, dessert or snack.

In Russia, Belarus and Ukraine, oladyi (оладьи ) are small, thick, traditional crepes. They are often served with smetana (sour cream), varenye (whole fruit jam), jam, powidl (unsweetened plum jam) or honey.

In the Maghreb, crepes made with wheat semolina have small holes on the surface like the Swedish plättar. They are much wider than plättar and are baked on one side only. They are called thousand-hole pancakes, baghrir or ghrayef.

In the United States, hoecakes are small crepes made with cornmeal halfway between pancakes and corn tortillas. They can be found in the United States under different names: Johnnycake, journey cake, spider cornbread, shawnee cake or Johnny bread.

This recipe is validated by our expert in Swedish cuisine, Chef Stefano Catenacci. Chef Stefano is the co-owner of Nobis Hospitality Group, including Michelin-starred Operakallaren in Stockholm.

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Plättar

Plättar are small traditional Swedish pancakes, cooked in a special crepe pan with several holes. They are prepared with flour, eggs and milk. Prep Time10 minutes minsCook Time20 minutes minsRest2 hours hrsTotal Time30 minutes mins Course: BreakfastCuisine: Scandinavian, Swedish Servings: 6 people Calories: 368kcal Author: Sarah-Eden

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour , sifted
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2½ cups whole milk
• 3 eggs
• 4 tablespoons butter , melted

For cooking

• 3 tablespoons butter , melted

Equipment

• Hand mixer

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
• While whisking, gradually incorporate the milk, then the eggs one by one. Whisk until obtaining a smooth batter.
• Incorporate the butter and mix everything with a hand mixer for 2 minutes.
• Cover the batter and let it rest for 2 hours at room temperature.

Cooking

• Heat a small crepe maker or pan.
• Brush the crepe maker with melted butter.
• Whisk the batter for a few seconds, then pour a ladle of batter in a thin layer on the crepe maker.
• Cook the plättar over medium heat until reaching a golden color on the underside. Then turn them over and cook the other side until golden brown.
• Place them in a dish as they are cooked, one on top of the other.
• Enjoy hot, with lingonberry jam and whipped cream.

Video

Notes

To keep the pancakes hot, keep them, as they come out of the pan, in an oven preheated to 170 F (75°C), covered with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Nutrition Facts Plättar Amount Per Serving Calories 368 Calories from Fat 171 % Daily Value* Fat 19g29%Saturated Fat 11g69%Cholesterol 127mg42%Sodium 422mg18%Potassium 209mg6%Carbohydrates 38g13%Fiber 1g4%Sugar 7g8%Protein 10g20% Vitamin A 692IU14%Calcium 157mg16%Iron 2mg11% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Sarah-Eden

As the founder of pastry food blog Les Trois Madeleines, Sarah-Eden reinvents glamorous desserts with original pastries. She enjoys discovering new blogs, interacting with food bloggers, and of course, she loves madeleines!

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