chemical leavening, or some combination of
these. Russian blinis sometimes include beer,
which may contribute effervescence. The
batter is poured onto the griddle and allowed
to cook until bubbles begin to rise and break
on the upper surface; the cook then flips the
cake to set the second side before the
leavening gas escapes.
Crumpets are an English invention, small,
flat, yeast-raised cakes with a distinctively
pale, cratered top surface. They’re made from
a somewhat thick pancake batter that’s
allowed to become bubbly from yeast activity,
then poured into ring molds to a depth of
about 0.75 in/2 cm, cooked very slowly until
bubbles break and set on the surface, then
unmolded and turned to cook briefly on the
hole-y side.
Food Words: Crêpe
The French word crêpe comes from the
Latin for “curled, wavy,” and probably