Oladyi

Whisk the kefir, egg, sugar and salt together in a large bowl until the colour is even.

Take the kefir out of the fridge half an hour ahead. Cold kefir slows the reaction with the soda to the point where the oladyi come out flat.

Add the flour and fold it in with about fifteen strokes, stopping when no dry flour is left. The batter should be thick enough to drop from a spoon in a lump rather than a ribbon, and a few lumps of flour are fine.

Cover and stand for 20 minutes, until the batter has thickened noticeably as the flour takes up liquid.

Squeeze the grated apple dry in your hands and fold it in now, if using. Unsqueezed apple releases enough juice to slacken the batter.

Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat to about 170C/340F, where a drop of batter sizzles at once and starts to colour within 5 seconds without spitting.

Scatter the bicarbonate of soda over the surface of the batter and fold it through with five or six strokes. The batter will visibly lighten and start to hold small bubbles.

Start frying immediately. The reaction peaks within the first few minutes, and a batter left standing after the soda goes in gives dense, flat oladyi.

Drop heaped tablespoons of batter into the pan, spacing them well apart. Do not flatten them; the thickness is the point.

Fry for 2-3 minutes, until the edges look dry and set, bubbles have risen and burst across the top and the underside is deep gold.

Fry one on its own first and cut it open. A dark crust over a wet middle means the heat is too high, and the sugar in the batter will burn before the centre cooks.

Flip each one once and fry for a further 1-2 minutes, until the sides no longer look wet and the pancake feels springy when pressed.

Lift onto kitchen paper to drain briefly.

Add more oil for each batch and let it come back up to heat before the next spoonfuls go in.

Serve hot, with the soured cream and the honey or jam.