May 27, 2011 · 1:21 pm

How To . . . Make Great Waffles

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Basic Waffle Tips & Strategies

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  • Make sure that your waffle iron is very hot. Cool iron = lots of sticking. My new Calphalon waffle iron is non-stick and does not require any oil or spray to keep the waffles from sticking.
  • Don’t overfill the waffle maker pockets. Spillage is not fun to clean. Start with a scant amount of batter on the first few waffles, until you are sure of the right amount. Different recipes will rise more or less while cooking, so don’t think that the same amount of batter will work with different recipes.
  • Once your batter is mixed, do not keep stirring batter between batches. The air pockets in the batter (from the baking powder/soda or whipped egg whites) will collapse with over-stirring.
  • Use a ladle or measuring cup (1/2 cup size works well for my waffle maker) to scoop batter. This minimizes the stirring or pouring which will deflate your batter.
  • If you are using add-ins like blueberries or chocolate chips, sprinkle them on the batter in the waffle iron (instead of in the batter in the bowl); then use a heat-safe rubber spatula (or the back of your ladle) to move some batter over the berries/chips so that they don’t stick to the top plate of the waffle maker. If stirred into the batter in the bowl, these heavier items tend to sink, requiring more stirring, which will deflate your batter.
  • Cool waffles on a wire cookie sheet, not a plate. Letting the air circulate around the waffles will keep them from getting soggy.
  • If you are not serving the waffles immediately, place the wire cooling rack in a warm oven (200°F or lower) until ready to serve.
  • Waffles are great for making in large batches and freezing in Ziploc bags for busy mornings. Reheat in the toaster to maintain crispy edges.
  • Buttermilk substitute: Place 1 Tbs lemon juice in a one cup measure; add milk to one cup line. Stir; let sit for 5-10 minutes before using. Or try dried buttermilk powder that stores in the fridge. Or use kefir.
  • Oil (in the batter) makes for crispier waffles; melted butter makes for softer, more cake-like waffles. I prefer using oil in most recipes. Use a mild flavored oil.

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Waffle Recipes:

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May 26, 2011 · 5:10 am

Waffle Week: Toppings

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What would a waffle be without a perfect topping?
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Waffles are a great canvas for a variety of syrups or fruit toppings.

Here are some of the things we have been pouring in those deep waffle pockets. Click through the titles to go to a page with the topping recipes.

Vanilla Buttermilk Syrup

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Blueberry Syrup (with some additional fresh blueberries).

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Also great on Cheesecake!

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Pure Maple Syrup (no recipe)

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Homemade Maple Pancake Syrup

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Fresh Berries and Cream (no recipe)

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Triple Berry Syrup

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Happy Waffle Making!
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May 25, 2011 · 8:08 am

Waffle Week: Lemon Yogurt Waffles

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Desserts in our house usually have to come in both a chocolate and non-chocolate variety. So, alongside our Double Chocolate Waffles, we had these Lemon Yogurt Waffles.

These waffles are a little sweeter than regular waffles (even after I cut the sugar in half from the original recipe), so I don’t think I would want them for breakfast. Little A had no problem eating them anytime of the day, however.

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The waffles are made with plain yogurt and flavored with fresh lemon zest. They have more of a light cake consistency than regular waffles.
The berry sauce was a perfect accompaniment for the sweet lemon taste of the waffles.
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For Waffle Tips & Suggestions, click HERE.
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RECIPE:

Lemon Yogurt Waffles

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1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
3 large eggs
Grated zest of 2 lemons
½ tsp vanilla extract

Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl. In another bowl, whisk together the yogurt, sugar, oil, eggs, lemon zest, and vanilla. Slowly whisk the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

Use a ladle or measuring cup to pour batter evenly into hot waffle maker (about 2 scant cups for the 4 small Belgian waffles in my waffle maker). Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or according to directions on your waffle maker. Remove waffles from waffle maker and place on a wire rack (not a plate). Serve immediately or keep warm in a warm oven (very low heat).

Makes 2-3 large Belgian waffles (8-12 small squares)

To freeze: Cool waffles on a wire rack. Place in Ziploc bags and freeze. Reheat individual frozen waffles in a toaster (for crispier edges) or microwave (for a soft waffle).

Recipe adapted from The Perfect Pantry

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May 24, 2011 · 5:11 am

Waffle Week: Double Chocolate Waffles

050711 010-1Dessert Waffles:
AKA, How to convince your mom to let you eat dessert for breakfast

We ate these Chocolate Waffles the first time for dessert topped with black raspberry ice cream and a triple-berry sauce. The kids convinced me they would also be good for breakfast the next morning, without the ice cream but with whipped cream instead. I don’t think that really changed the sugar content any!

These chocolate waffles are not too heavy, but with the addition of mini chocolate chips in the batter and topped with ice cream and berry syrup, they are reminiscent of a brownie sundae. Next time I would like to try them topped with vanilla ice cream and buttermilk syrup.

For Waffle Tips & Suggestions, click HERE.

RECIPE:

Double Chocolate Waffles

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2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup corn starch
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1/8 tsp (scant) cinnamon
1 cup milk or buttermilk
1/3 cup oil
6 Tbs granulated sugar
1 egg
1 ½ tsp vanilla
½ cup mini chocolate chips

Combine flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon. Use a whisk to combine. In a separate bowl whisk together milk, oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Whisk for a minute so it gets a little frothy. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry a little at a time, whisking to combine. Just stir until they’re combined and don’t over mix.

Use a ladle or measuring cup to pour batter evenly into hot waffle maker (about 2 scant cups for the 4 small Belgian waffles in my waffle maker). Sprinkle about 1/3 of the chocolate chips (for a large Belgian waffle maker) over the batter in the waffle iron. Spread lightly with a heat proof spatula so that a small amount of batter covers chocolate chips. Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or according to directions on your waffle maker. Remove waffles from waffle maker and place on a wire rack (not a plate). Serve immediately or keep warm in a warm oven (very low heat).

Makes about 3 large Belgian waffles (12 small squares)

To freeze: Cool waffles on a wire rack. Place in Ziploc bags and freeze. Reheat individual frozen waffles in a toaster (for crispier edges) or microwave (for a soft waffle).

Recipe from Our Best Bites

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May 23, 2011 · 5:01 am

Birthday Chocolate Chip (or Blueberry) Waffles and Oven Bacon

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Yesterday was Middle K’s 14th birthday, and in the spirit of Waffle Week, we made Chocolate Chip and Blueberry Waffles for breakfast that morning. With some Oven Bacon on the side. For the waffles, I used the One-Bowl Buttermilk Waffle batter. While the batter was in the waffle iron, I sprinkled in mini chocolate chips, or some frozen blueberries (not thawed). Fresh blueberries would obviously be great as well; I can’t wait until summer blueberry season—I am down to my last bag of blueberries that I froze last summer. You could also sprinkle in other berries or chopped fruit (raspberries, chopped strawberries, peaches).

052211 032-1Cooking bacon in the oven is a great way to make a lot of bacon without making a mess of your kitchen. And there are NO PANS TO CLEAN WHEN YOU ARE DONE!! It was a great thing to make with these Buttermilk Waffles, as this batter is best if it sits for 30 minutes before cooking. So I made up the batter, set it aside, then got the bacon going in the oven. By the time the bacon was crisp, the batter was ready to cook!

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Simply line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy duty foil, lay out slices of bacon (not touching) and bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes. Exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon, and how crispy you like it. A general guideline is to watch the “bubbles” on the bacon. They will start out large, then get small and foamy when the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and allow to drain on some paper towels. When the pan has cooled completely, simply gather up the foil (with all of the messy grease inside) and throw it away. Or you could save some of those bacon drippings and freeze to use for cooking later.

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RECIPES:

Chocolate Chip or Blueberry Waffles

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Waffle Batter (try any of the following):
One-Bowl Buttermilk Waffles
Brown Sugar Buttermilk Waffles
Whole Grain Waffles
Overnight Yeast Raised Waffles
Sourdough Waffles

Mini Chocolate Chips, Blueberries, or other Chopped Fruit or Nuts

Prepare batter according to recipe. Fill waffle maker with slightly less batter than usual. Sprinkle with desired filling. Using a heat safe rubber spatula, gently spread batter in the waffle maker to cover the chocolate chips or fruit with a small amount of batter (so that they don’t stick to the top plate of the waffle iron). Close waffle iron and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy.

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Oven Bacon

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Bacon
Rimmed Baking Sheet
Heavy Duty Foil
Paper Towels

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Line the baking sheet with foil. Lay out slices of raw bacon (not touching) and bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes. Exact time will depend on the thickness of the bacon, and how crispy you like it. A general guideline is to watch the “bubbles” on the bacon. The bubbles will start out large, then get small and foamy when the bacon is crisp. Remove the bacon from the pan and allow to drain on some paper towels.

When the pan has cooled completely, simply gather up the foil (with all of the messy grease inside) and throw it away. Or you could save some of those bacon drippings and freeze to use for cooking later.

NoEmptyChairs.me

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May 21, 2011 · 9:45 am

Waffle Week: Whole Grain Waffles

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Looking for a healthier waffle that is also great tasting? These whole grain waffles are made with whole wheat flour, oat flour (ground oats) and wheat germ. After making the Buttermilk Waffles (with no separated eggs), I used some of the same techniques to try and make these as light as possible. Replacing some of the flour with cornstarch and letting the batter sit for a little while before cooking really helped make these waffles great.

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With the heavier whole grains, they will never be quite as light as all-white-flour waffles, but they make up for in flavor what they lack in airiness.

For Waffle Tips & Suggestions, click HERE.

RECIPE:

Whole Grain Waffles

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1 cup whole wheat flour
½ cup cornstarch
½ cup oat flour*
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 Tbs wheat germ
2 Tbs brown sugar
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk or sourmilk (or 1 cup kefir + 1 cup milk)**
2 eggs
¼ cup oil
1 tsp vanilla

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Add wet ingredients to dry; mix well. Let batter sit for 30 minutes before cooking. Do not stir batter after letting it sit.

Use a ladle or measuring cup to pour batter evenly into hot waffle maker (about 2 scant cups for the 4 small Belgian waffles in my waffle maker). Cook for about 3-5 minutes, or according to directions on your waffle maker. Remove waffles from waffle maker and place on a wire rack (not a plate). Serve immediately or keep warm in a warm oven (very low heat).

Makes about 3 large Belgian waffles (12 small squares)

* To make oat flour: Place rolled oats in a blender or food processor and blend until fine.

**To make sour milk: add 2 Tbs lemon juice to a 2 cup measuring cup, fill to 2 cup line with milk (whole milk works best). Stir; let sit 5 minutes before using. If using sour milk, add an additional 1-2 Tbs flour to batter.

To freeze: Cool waffles on a wire rack. Place in Ziploc bags and freeze. Reheat individual frozen waffles in a toaster (for crispier edges) or microwave (for a soft waffle).

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