I have wanted to make these Blinis for ages and having been gifted a Baking Stone for Christmas, I had the perfect excuse to get creative…… So today I present to you…. ‘The Full English’… Breakfast Blini. Doesn’t that look tempting?
Soft, light gluten free blinis made with oat flour, topped with a spoonful of moist scrambled egg, a succulent, lightly fried chestnut mushroom and finally a salty bacon-wrapped crisp-roasted, meaty cocktail sausage…… A mouthful of traditional English breakfast deliciousness….. perfect for entertaining friends after a sociable night before…..
Well I say it’s a full English…… the connoisseurs amongst you will notice a distinct absence of tomato. There is of course nothing to stop you from adding a slice into the stack, but as these are bite-sized morsels, designed to be hand-held, I didn’t want to risk embarrassing the guests with drippy, squirty tomato mess.
As is probably the case for most foodies, a Christmas kitchen gadget or two was inevitable and this year, I was the grateful recipient of both a Waffle Maker (recipe coming soon) and a Baking Stone.
Although you can use a large flat-bottomed frying pan to make blinis, it can be quite fiddly getting a spatula flat under them to flip or to remove from the pan. The baking stone (which is effectively a heavy, flat, coated, cast-iron plate) is absolutely perfect for the task. It gets hot….. really hot….. and retains an even heat throughout the cooking process and well beyond. I am loving using it and thinking maybe crumpets are next on my list…..
The blini recipe I have used here is a slight adaptation of a Naomi Devlin recipe. I attended a gluten free pastry course with Naomi back in May last year down at River Cottage and was truly impressed with her knowledge, so her recipe for buckwheat blinis seemed a good place to start. They were good, but Miss GF was less keen on the slightly bitter kick that comes from the buckwheat seed. For the recipe I have posted here, I neutralised the flavour slightly by revamping the flour blend, without damping the nutritional content, adding a good ratio of creamy oat flour…… In fact, using oat flour made these blinis perfect breakfast fodder…… an ideal complementary base for the ‘Full English’ flavours on top.
Although they are at their best when freshly made, the blinis can be made ahead of time and (just like shop-bought versions) can be easily ‘refreshed’ by a few seconds in the microwave.
So next time you have guests staying over, why not treat them to something a little different for breakfast?
I am sharing my ‘Full English’ Breakfast Blinis with :
Cook Blog Share with Everyday Healthy Recipes
Brilliant Blog Posts with Honest Mum
Baking Crumbs with Only Crumbs Remain – given that these blinis were made on a Baking Stone, I am sneaking these little babies in……
Recipe of the Week with A Mummy Too
Free From Fridays with Le Coin De Mel and Free From Farmhouse
Fiesta Friday #205 with Angie, The Frugal Hausfrau and Food Eat Love
‘The Full English’… Breakfast Blinis – with gluten free Oat Blinis
Ingredients – Oat Blinis (adapted from a blini recipe by Naomi Devlin) – makes approx 16 blinis
The ‘Full English’ bit…. (for 16 blinis)
Method
- Blinis – In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, egg yolks, yoghurt, milk, yeast and salt until well blended. Set aside in a warm place to prove for a couple of hours (or prove in the fridge overnight (remembering to bring back to room temperature before continuing)).
- When the batter has grown in volume by about half, whisk the egg whites in a clean bowl until stiff and then lightly fold into the batter mixture until combined.
- Use either a large, flat-bottomed frying pan, or a baking stone. Heat over a medium to low setting, until the base is hot and then (using a thick wad of kitchen paper to prevent burning fingers), rub the surface with a dot of butter.
- Drop spoonfuls (approx tablespoon) of batter onto the surface, leaving a good gap between them (I worked in batches of 5 to 6) and cook until the base is golden, the surface is getting a slight skin and the edges are firming slightly (about 50 to 60 seconds). Flip over with a spatula and cook the other side until golden and just set (they should be soft, but not squidgy).
- Remove the blinis and wrap in a clean tea towel to keep moist and warm until all are cooked.
- Whilst you are cooking your Blinis, cook the sausages wrapped in bacon in the oven using the packet instructions (usually about 20 minutes at approx 200 C).
- Remove the stalks and gently fry the mushrooms in a little olive oil until golden. Set aside in the oven in a heat-proof dish (covered with foil) until ready to eat.
- To make the scrambled egg, beat the egg lightly in a bowl with a dash of milk and seasoned to taste and add a small knob of butter. Pour into a small saucepan and gently heat, stirring frequently until the mixture has cooked and scrambled.
- Putting it all together : Layer a blini with a teaspoon of scrambled egg, topped with a fried mushroom and finally a sausage wrapped in bacon. Serve and enjoy.
These look so tasty and perfect for when you want to make a breakfast that's a bit special. I think I'll be putting a baking stone on my birthday list – It would be so useful!
Thanks Corina. I would absolutely recommend a Baking Stone! x
What a fabulous recipe Kate, so dainty and yet so hearty and comforting…I love the idea of a FEB on a blini! Karen I
Thank you Karen. They were so good to eat! x
Just coming over here to give you some love and to tell you to bake your mums favourite cake to remember her and share it with us so we get to know her too. Sending you loads of love Dom xx
Thank you Dom! That's kind of you. I have made some Italian Cookies which I have now posted, but may have to do some cake in memory for Mother's Day x
I made these today, but I had a headache and didn't concentrate properly and added the 2 whole eggs, decided to leave it as instructed, then when it had risen whisked the white of one egg and added it. They were fine and had some for supper with baked tomatoes instead of toast. Will try the recipe properly next time. Looking forward to the waffle recipe and may even try and sneak an electric waffle iron past my OH who already thinks I am the gadget queen LOL (In my defence only the Spiraliser is not used as I struggle putting it together with my arthritic hands!)
Thanks Alison. I'm glad they turned to well, even if your headache meant a small mistake. I think the recipe is probably quite forgiving!
The recipe will be on its way soon….. Unfortunately it has been delayed due to a very difficult January at my end….. Rest assured it is well worth the wait. My daughter has taken to making them regularly after school before I get home too!! x
These look so cute – I can just see them on a tray being taken around by a very well dressed waiter at brunch. For me the full english has to have baked beans but I think they would look very messy on your neat stack! I could imagine some veg version of this being very good however!
Thanks Johanna. Mmmmm yes……. I must put 'well dressed waiter' on my shopping list. One of those would come in handy! They might even be persuaded to do the washing up! x
Ooh how amazing do these look Kate! I just love them! I bet your guests were thrilled when they woke up to the aroma of these beauties cooking. And I bet they'd be absolutely delicious stacked with a vegetarian sausage too. Thankyou too for linking up with #BakingCrumbs
Angela x
Ha ha! Yes….. the guests may be thrilled, but you run the risk of them refusing to ever leave! They would be lovely with a good veggie sausage or a curl of veggie bacon x
I love those little oat blinis!! Fantastic! And how cool is your cast iron sheet? Looking forward to the waffles, too, as I notice someone else said!
Happy New Year, and Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
Mollie
Thanks. The Iron Baking Stone is fab. I would definitely recommend one x
Oh my goodness. These look delicious. I've been looking for savory breakfast ideas to make at home for a long time, too. Thanks!
Thanks Nicole. Definitely a weekend breakfast this one. You need time to truly savour it! x
Happy New Year Kate! What a clever idea, your little stack looks so neat and lovely it's almost too good to eat! Thank you for bringing it to #CookBlogShare:)
Thank you Monika! I am firmly of the belief that nothing looks too good to eat! x
I've never eaten a blini but these certainly look good enough for me to give them a go. Thank you for sharing the recipe, Kate. I am very excited about a forthcoming waffle recipe. I used to love waffles in "the old days" before gluten problems hit. I don't have a waffle iron but that can be very easily remedied! Helenx
Thank you Helen. The blinis are so easy to make and you can top them with just about anything. Definitely worth a try!
The waffle recipe is on its way, but has been delayed due to a family bereavement. But keep your eyes peeled….. they should be here soon xx
Ooh a baking stone sounds like a brilliant present and these look great.
Thanks Emma. The Baking Stone is fab. Would definitely recommend one x
I have never made blinis and they are so cute and so popular at the moment. Perfect for entertaining, you have made them so well (as you do with all your food!). What a great idea a full english on a blini. Happy new year!
Thanks Alida. Yes they are absolutely perfect for entertaining. And very versatile too x