Lívance, Czech Yeasted Pancakes With Cinnamon Sugar

An old Bohemian recipe for yeasted pancakes, a traditional Czech dessert, often prepared to beloved grandchildren by their grannies (babička).

Course Dessert

Cuisine Czech

Keyword Pancakes

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Leavening 40

Total Time 1 25

Servings pancakes

Calories 212kcal

In a large mixing bowl, add yeast to warm milk, and whisk in flour, sugar, a pinch of salt, and eggs. Using an electric mixer set on low speed, mix until combined; the result should be a liquid batter. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel or a plastic wrap and let it leaven for 40 minutes in a warm place, or until it doubles its volume.
Don’t stir the batter to keep the bubbles after leavening.
Grease a large frying pan with butter or a small amount of oil and warm it up to medium heat.
Scoop the batter with a ladle and form pancakes on the hot pan – circles about 3 inches (7 cm) in diameter.
Cook pancakes on medium-low heat until golden brown, then flip and repeat on the second side. It all takes about 1 minute from each side.
In a large deep bowl, mix the powdered sugar with the ground cinnamon and roll the slightly cooled (but still warm) pancakes in the mixture to coat both sides thoroughly.

Makes about 14 pancakes.
More pancake topping ideas:
- Coated in a mixture of sugar and cinnamon
- Decorate the top of pancakes with jam and a scoop of sweetened sour cream
- With fresh fruit such as blueberries, strawberries, raspberries
- Lívance pancakes taste also great with plum butter (povidla), sprinkled with crumbled tvaroh (Czech tvaroh or in the US farmers’ cheese), and powdered sugar.
The best pancake pan: The ideal frying pan for pancakes has a non-stick surface and its diameter fits the size of the stove. The best choice is a frying pan with separate flapjack molds, which will give you a great round pancake shape.
EXTRA TIP: Once the pancakes are fried, brush them with a mixture of melted unsalted butter and a tablespoon of spiced rum. The pancakes get a wonderful flavor that will surprise you.