Filling, protein-rich and loved by children and adults alike, Lithuanian Farmer’s Cheese Pancakes are a true classic! Served for breakfast or lunch, these pancakes are made by shaping patties from a soft dough, and then fried in butter and oil. Served with a generous dollop of sour cream and jam, Kepti Varskeciai has always been my favorite treat on Saturday mornings as a child, and I hold this recipe very close to my heart!
Jump to:
- Classic Lithuanian Breakfast (And Even Lunch)
- What Is Lithuanian Farmer’s Cheese and How To Choose The Right Type?
- Ingredients and Substitutes
- Step-By-Step Method
- What To Serve Lithuanian Farmers Cheese Pancakes With?
- Tips for Best Results
- Storage & Leftovers
- Other Farmer’s Cheese Recipes
- Lithuanian Farmer’s Cheese Pancakes (Kepti Varskeciai)
I came back home to North Wales only two days ago after spending a week in Lithuania. As the weather was a little extreme (-25°C at times and with plenty of snow storms) I decided to spend my time wisely and got my mum to cook a bunch of recipes I loved as a child. And I observed and made notes (and even got my mum to use kitchen scales – as in Lithuanian, everything is pretty much done by eye and intuition). Over the next few months, I will be sharing all the lovely Lithuanian recipes, starting with this delicious breakfast gem – Kepti Varskeciai!
Classic Lithuanian Breakfast (And Even Lunch)
If I had to choose one Lithuanian breakfast recipe from my childhood that I loved the most, it would probably be Kepti Varskeciai. Slightly sweet, full of doughnut-like qualities, and very moreish, Farmers Cheese Pancakes are also protein-rich and easy to make in advance.
Truth be told, Lithuanians do not shy away from having pancakes for lunch either. We love filled Lithuanian crepes, Lithuanian kefir pancakes, savory potato pancakes, zucchini pancakes, banana crepes and of course Varskeciai.
Find other delicious Lithuanian breakfast recipes below:
What Is Lithuanian Farmer’s Cheese and How To Choose The Right Type?
Farmers Cheese in Lithuania is known as Varske, and it is one of the staples in Lithuanian cuisine. It is similar to quark cheese but drier. It is also popular in other Eastern European countries (Tvorog in Russia, Twaróg in Poland etc). It is mostly used in baking delicious farmers cheese cakes, buns and farmer's cheese cookies, but is also enjoyed for breakfast with just a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of sugar on top (Farmer's Cheese and Sour Cream Breakfast Recipe here) or in the form of Farmer's Cheese Filled Crepes.
In Lithuania, you can typically get three types of Farmer’s cheese: extra light (0.5-1%), half-fat (9%), and full-fat (18%). When using varske in baking or making sweet treats (like my favourite - Farmers Cheese Roll Cake or Sour Cream Pastries With Farmer's Cheese Filling), we always recommend going for 9%+ farmers cheese.
You are likely to find varske or twarog in any Eastern European grocery store.
If you are keen, let’s jump into the ingredients and method!
Ingredients and Substitutes
- Raisins or sultanas: can be replaced with dried currents or cranberries, or omitted altogether.
- Farmers cheese: it is the main ingredient, that can make or break the dish, so use a 9% fat farmers cheese, ideally. More about Lithuanian Farmers Cheese (Varske) in the section above.
- Egg: medium-large.
- Salt.
- Sugar: white granulated sugar or caster sugar (also known as superfine sugar) will work here.
- Flour: plain white flour (all-purpose flour) or pastry flour work best. You may need more or less flour depending on how large your egg is and how well you drained your raisins. What is more, I find that Polish twarog is a lot dryer compared to Lithuanian Varske. You will also need some extra flour for dusting the work surfaces.
- Baking powder: can be replaced with ½ amount of baking soda, but make sure to mix it with lemon juice (or white vinegar) before adding it to the pancake mixture.
- oil and butter for frying: use odourless oil (like vegetable oil, and not olive oil) and unsalted butter. Alternatively, you can use ghee.
You can find quantities and full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Method
- Place the raisins/ sultanas in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them. Soak them for 5 minutes. Then drain well, and leave them to cool down.
2. In the meantime, in a large mixing bowl, combine the farmer’s cheese, egg, salt and sugar and mix until sugar is almost dissolved and the farmer’s cheese is not clumped in big lumps. In Lithuania, a potato masher is typically used to do the job. Do not expect a regular pancake batter - it is more like a dough.
3. Mix the flour and baking soda together in a small bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the farmer’s cheese mixture and mix just enough to combine.
4. Add the sultanas and knead just enough to bring the dough together and distribute the raisins.
5. Roll the dough into a log (approx. 4.5-5cm in diameter) on a well floured surface.
6. Cut it into 8 even pieces (each about 2.5cm thick).
7. Dust more flour on the work surface if required. Then one by one, flatten each piece with the palm of your hand and cup each pancake with your hands to form it into a round shape (see video of my mum shaping Varskeciai in the recipe card).
8. OPTIONAL: it is traditional to score one side of varskeciai in a grid manner, as shown in the photo below. Truth be told, you can barely see the pattern after frying these pancakes.
9. Heat a large frying pan (non-stick skillet) with a generous tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of odourless oil (like vegetable, canola, or sunflower) over medium heat.
10. Once hot, add the pancakes (do not overcrowd the pan) and cover the pan with a lid. Fry these thick pancakes for 5-6 minutes on each side with the lid on, checking once in a while that they’re not burning on the bottom (reduce the heat, if they are).
11. Farmers' cheese pancakes should puff up slightly and be dark golden brown. Place them on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb excess oil and serve immediately (2-3 farmer cheese pancakes per portion: trust me, they are filling)!
What To Serve Lithuanian Farmers Cheese Pancakes With?
Traditionally Lithuanian Farmer's Cheese Pancakes are served with sour cream and jam. Choose any jam you have. We simply use what we have in the fridge at that time in Lithuania, but I love my pancakes most with cherry jam (or compote) or sweet apple sauce (obuoliene). You may also dust your pancakes with icing sugar! Fresh fruit, fresh berries and Greek yogurt would go well with these sweet pancakes too.
Alternatively, you can smear a heaping tablespoon of sour cream on top of each pancake and sprinkle them with sugar. It was my favourite way to eat them as a child!
Tips for Best Results
- Lithuanian Farmer's Cheese Pancakes are not completely smooth inside (you will likely see speckles of farmers cheese). If you want to make these melt-in-the-mouth deliciously smooth, push the farmers cheese through a fine sieve before mixing it with other ingredients.
- If you are making farmers cheese pancakes ahead of time, you may skip soaking the raisins, as they will absorb some moisture from the dough whilst being stored in the fridge. Do soak the raisins if you are eating the pancakes right away, though.
- Adjust the flour quantity as you go. You may need more or less flour depending on the size of your egg, and how well you drained your raisins, as well as the specific type of farmer’s cheese you use. The final dough should be soft, but not overly sticky.
- Fry your pancakes in ghee – they taste best, and don’t burn as easily!
Storage & Leftovers
Varskeciai can be prepared in advance. Simply make the dough, shape them, the arrange them on a floured board or plate and cover with a plastic bag or plastic wrap. Store them in the fridge for up to 2 days, and cook them as required. Note though, that over time baking powder will start losing its leavening capabilities, so your farmers cheese pancakes may not puff up as much.
If you cook more pancakes than you can eat, cool them down to room temperature and then store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. In Lithuania, we rarely reheat these pancakes, but they are delicious cold, especially dusted with some powdered sugar!
Other Farmer’s Cheese Recipes
If you love cooking with farmers cheese, why not try some of the recipes below:
- Varskes Apkepas (Lithuanian Breakfast Cheesecake)
- Lithuanian Farmer Cheese Cake Recipe (Draugystės Pyragas)
- Lithuanian Farmer's Cheese Roll Cake (Kuršėnų Vyniotinis)
- Lithuanian Potato Dumplings With Farmer's Cheese
- Virti Varskeciai (Boiled Farmers Cheese Dumplings)
- Lithuanian Farmers Cheese Buns (Sweet) (recipe coming soon)
Lithuanian Farmer’s Cheese Pancakes (Kepti Varskeciai)
Ingredients
- 50 g (⅓ cup) raisins or sultanas
- 360 g (0.8 lb) farmers cheese varske, 9% fat
- 1 egg medium-large
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 30 g (2½ tbsp) granulated sugar or caster sugar
- 140-160 g (1¼ cups) all-purpose flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon baking power
- oil and butter for frying
Instructions
- Place the raisins/ sultanas in a small bowl and pour boiling water over them. Soak them for 5 minutes. Then drain well, and leave them to cool down.
- In the meantime, in a large mixing bowl, combine the farmer’s cheese, egg, salt and sugar and mix until sugar is almost dissolved and the farmer’s cheese is not clumped in big lumps (TIP: potato masher does a great job for this).
- Mix the flour and baking powder together in a small bowl. Add it to the farmer’s cheese mixture and mix just enough to combine.
- Add the sultanas and knead just enough to bring the dough together and distribute the raisins.
- Roll the dough into a log (approx. 4.5-5cm in diameter) on a lightly dusted work surface.
- Cut it into 8 even pieces (each about 2.5cm thick).
- Dust more flour on the work surface if required. Then one by one, flatten each piece with the palm of your hand and cup each pancake with your hands to form it into a round shape (see video below).
- OPTIONAL: it is traditional to score one side of varskeciai in a grid manner, as shown in the video below.
- Heat a large frying pan with a generous tablespoon of butter and a tablespoon of odourless oil (or ghee) over medium heat.
- Once hot, add the pancakes (do not overcrowd the pan) and cover the pan with a lid. Fry the pancakes for 5-6 minutes on each side with the lid on, checking once in a while that they’re not burning on the bottom (reduce the heat, if they are).
- Farmers' cheese pancakes should puff up slightly and be dark golden brown. Serve immediately!
Video
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