Crispy Light Wheat Waffles

 

There’s a really great light and crispy waffle recipe from Fine Cooking magazine that I love. It was published in The Best AmericanRecipes 2002-2003, which is where I found it about 10 years ago. It makes delicious waffles with a gently crispy texture. They require a bit of extra time and result in some extra dish washing since they contain a (as in one, single) beaten egg white. I, however, have always found it worth that time and effort.

I’ve also always thought the recipe looked like a good starting point for all kinds of variations (such as this good one from a few years ago). This time I took a cue from some of my recent baking excursions and replaced some of the white flour with whole wheat flour. Again, exchanging about a third of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat seemed like a safe place to start, and this worked well. What worked even better, at least as far as new flavors in a familiar recipe are concerned, was to add cinnamon as well.

The combination of the slight nuttiness of that little bit of wheat flour and a decent dose of cinnamon is a really winner. Of course, I also added some more sugar, though there’s still not a lot in the recipe, which I think makes the cinnamon come through even more. The whole wheat flour did nothing to diminish the lovely crisp texture of these waffles, which gets a boost from a few minutes in a warm oven. I highly recommend not skipping this step for maximum loveliness.

I liked this version of my favorite waffle recipe so much that I think it’s going to achieve status as the new favorite. I hope that doesn’t stop me from trying other variations. I think other whole grain flours could work (and be delicious) in place of the whole wheat and other warm spices, such as nutmeg, cloves, or blends like Pumpkin Pie Spice or chai spice would be good, too. I also think that this recipe could be easily doubled. So many waffles to try, so few weekends off!

Crispy Light Wheat and Cinnamon Waffles

Based on a recipe in The Best American Recipes 2002-2003 and Fine Cooking magazine

½ cup all-purpose flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup cornstarch

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon fine salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 large egg, separated

¼ cup canola or other neutral oil

¾ cup buttermilk

¼ cup milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Preheat a waffle iron. Preheat oven to 250 F. Place a cooling rack on a rack in the oven.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk or sift together to combine well. Set aside.

3. In another medium-size bowl, combine the egg yolk and oil. Beat together until well-combined. Add the buttermilk, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.

4. In a small bowl, beat the egg white to firm peaks with an electric mixer. Set aside.

5. Pour the egg yolk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until all of the dry ingredients are moist. Fold in the beaten egg white, taking care to keep it light and puffy. Stir just until the white is evenly distributed.

6. Spray the heated waffle iron with cooking spray or brush it with butter or oil. Pour a portion of batter (the sized will depend on the size of your waffle iron) onto the iron and bake according to manufacturer’s instructions.

7. Remove the baked waffle from the iron and place on the rack in the preheated oven. Repeat with the remaining batter. The waffles will not only stay warm, but will also crisp in the oven. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

Makes about 4 waffles.

Other recipes like this one: Orange Millet Waffles, Overnight Yeasted Belgian Waffles

One year ago: Cinnamon Raisin Buttermilk Biscuits

Yeasted Belgian Waffles

 

Pardon my phrasing, but what the hell happened to November?!? I mean, I’m planning pumpkin and root vegetable recipes, and I turn around and it’s gone! Now it’s time for December’s holiday treats and there’s nary a cookie in the house! What’s to be done?

Well, I could go on about the epic-ness of recent culinary shortfalls, but that’s not what these pages are for. Right now, these pages are for waffles. Fluffy yeasted Belgian waffles made from batter you can mix up the night before so breakfast can be produced without delay!

I got a Belgian waffle maker long enough ago that I don’t remember when it was, but then I had to sift through my hefty collection of mostly unorganized recipes to find the particular magazine clippings I had saved for years. These held a recipe for yeasted Belgian waffles, which sounded so interesting that I actually remembered them for, yes, literally years.

 

And these are good waffles. Just a basic flavored with a reasonably fluffy texture and a bit of yeasty aroma. The head notes printed with the original recipe insisted that the waffles would be sweet and therefore would not need to be served with maple syrup. Um, no. Not gonna happen. I simply reduced the sugar to make room in the sweetness palette for that oh-so-necessary syrup.

As tasty as these waffles are, however, I think their most appealing quality is their ability to be made ahead. The batter is mixed up the night before and the yeast allowed to work its magic in the refrigerator. If you have lots of time before breakfast or brunch, or if you want to serve Belgian waffles for supper, you can let the batter sit at room temperature for a couple of hours instead. For myself, I like to have things ready to go for a lazy weekend breakfast, perhaps as fuel for a day of holiday baking. Let’s just hope that has a chance of happening!

Overnight Yeasted Belgian Waffles

Adapted from Cooking Pleasures magazine

½ cup unsalted butter

1 cup warm water (about 110 F), divided

2 ¼ teaspoons active dry yeast (1 ¼-ounce package)

3 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

3 eggs

1 cup warm milk (about 110 F)

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Melt the butter. Set aside to cool slightly.

2. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Set aside.

3. In another bowl, mix the warm water and yeast. Let stand 5-10 minutes or until the yeast is foamy.

4. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add to the water-yeast mixture. Whisk in the melted butter. Whisk in the remaining water, and milk. Whisk in the sugar and beat until smooth. Whisk in the vanilla extract.

5. Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and stir until the mixture is smooth. Cover with a towel and refrigerate overnight (or let stand at room temperature until the batter doubles in size).

6. When ready to make waffles, preheat oven to 250 F to hold finished waffles and keep them warm. Preheat a Belgian-style waffle iron. Spray the heated iron with cooking spray. Pour about ½ cup batter onto the iron. Bake according to manufacturer’s instructions. Repeat with the remaining batter, keeping the finished waffles in the oven to keep them warm. Serve with butter and maple syrup (of course).

Makes 5-6 Belgian waffles.

Other recipes like this one: Orange Millet Waffles, Pumpkin Waffles

One year ago: Sweet Pumpkin Dip

Pumpkin Waffles

 

Nothing says, “I have the day off,” like going out for breakfast. But coming in second place might just be making waffles for breakfast at home. Last Saturday gave me just such an opportunity, and, for once, I embraced an opportunity wholeheartedly. Of course there was pumpkin (from a can, which is okay by me), Pumpkin Pie Spice, and maple syrup in the house to sweeten the deal.

I had a pumpkin waffle recipe in the binder in which I kept recipes that I liked before I started The Messy Apron. I couldn’t remember when I made them or how good (or not) these waffles were, but I wanted pumpkin waffles in the worst way, so I tried the recipe again. For supper. Hey, it’s the only mealtime I had available.

 

After that test, I decided they were delicious, but a bit heavy. Separating the eggs, beating the whites and folding them into the batter might help that, so I decided to try it. While it’s possible to beat one egg white (the original recipe called for one egg) without much trouble, as I learned from this recipe, I thought I’d make it a little more worth the time and energy and double the batch, therefore using two eggs.  This would have the added benefit of creating leftover waffles that I could keep in the freezer for weekday breakfasts.

 

Folding in the beaten egg whites did indeed solve the problem of the heavy-ish waffle. The end result was lighter and fluffier, but just as flavorful. And leftover waffles available for reheating during the week are, if not quite as good as the freshly-made ones, still a thing of beauty. Alas, they are only a joy for a limited time. I don’t know when I’ll have the opportunity to make pumpkin waffles for breakfast again, but, as I admitted above, they’re not just for breakfast. I think I see some more supper waffles in my not-too-distant future.

  

Pumpkin Waffles

Based on a recipe in Cooking Light magazine, October 2001

I used a smallish (7-inch) waffle iron to make these waffles. If yours is larger or smaller, you may end up with a different number of waffles.

 

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons Pumpkin Pie Spice
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil or vegetable oil
2 large eggs, separated
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
 

1. Preheat a waffle iron. Preheat the oven to 200 F. Place a wire cooling rack on the oven rack in the middle position.

2. In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and salt. Whisk together or sift until thoroughly combined. Set aside.

3. In another medium-size bowl, whisk together the oil and the egg yolks. Whisk in the pumpkin and brown sugar. Whisk in the milk, continuing to whisk until smooth. Set aside.

4. In a medium-size bowl beat the egg whites on high speed with an electric mixer until they form stiff peaks. (That is, when you lift the beaters away from the egg whites, they stand up in peaks.) Set aside.

5. Pour the egg and pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture. Stir just until there are no longer any lumps of dry ingredients. Fold (that is, gently stir) in the beaten egg whites a little at a time, being careful not to deflate the mixture, until just a few small puffs of egg white can be seen in the mixture.

6. Spray the preheated waffle iron with cooking spray (or brush it with oil or melted butter.) Pour or spoon an appropriate portion of batter onto the waffle iron and bake each waffle according to manufacturer’s instructions.

7. When each waffle is done, place in the preheated oven on the wire rack to keep warm until ready to serve. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with butter and maple syrup.

 

Makes about 8 7-inch waffles.

 

Other recipes like this one: Orange Millet Waffles, Pumpkin Oatmeal Quick Bread with Dates and Pecans

 

Orange Millet Waffles

I like a hot breakfast on cold weekend mornings, or at least that’s when I seem to be able to get myself together enough to make one. One of my favorites is these waffles from Fine Cooking magazine. (I first found the recipe in The Best American Recipes 2002-2003). Recently, I varied the recipe a bit to include orange juice and zest along with a bit of millet flour.

The original waffles are lightly crisp and delicious thanks to some cornstarch in the batter and a few moments on a rack in a warm oven after coming off the waffle iron. They’re a little bit of a fuss to make, which is why I usually reserve them for lazier Saturdays. They require the use of a few bowls, egg separation, and the beating of one (yes, just one) egg white. Then I went and fussed them up even more by adding yet another dry ingredient to measure (millet flour) and the mess of zesting and squeezing an orange. I do not regret it.

The zest of the orange is what gives the waffles (or any other baked goods) a good orange flavor and perfume, but the juice contributes to the orangey taste as well. The original recipe called for buttermilk, so I simulated its tanginess and chemical nature by mixing milk and freshly-squeezed orange juice. This is a variation on “sour milk,” which is often suggested as an emergency substitution for buttermilk, and can be made with lemon juice or even vinegar. I liked the results so much that I think I’ll never let a lack of buttermilk in the refrigerator keep me from making waffles again. (I also often substitute a mixture of yogurt and milk.)

As for the millet flour, if you aren’t specifically probing for it, you might not notice it in this recipe. The baking waffles have a lightly nutty fragrance, and their millet flavor is gently sweet and grainy. I do not find that millet flour asserts itself as much as other whole grain flours do, and I liked its subtle presence here. If you don’t happen to have millet flour on hand, you might try substituting cornmeal, or just use more all-purpose flour. Either way, the orange flavor, which is the seasonal highlight of this hot breakfast, should still shine through nicely. And if you’re like me, you’ll love these waffles enough to barely resent all the measuring, beating, squeezing and pouring it takes to make them.

Orange Millet Waffles
Based on a recipe in Fine Cooking magazine via The Best American Recipes 2002-2003

This is a relatively small batch of waffles.

You could replace the millet flour with cornmeal or more all-purpose flour if desired.

1 large egg
1 medium orange
milk (about 3/4 cup)
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup millet flour
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup canola or vegetable oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Separate the egg yolk and white, setting each aside. Allow the egg white to stand and warm to room temperature. Preheat a waffle iron. Preheat the oven to 200 F. Place a cooling rack in the oven if desired (to hold the finished waffles).

2. Remove the zest from the orange. (I use a Micorplane grater, which makes finely-grated zest.) Set aside. Squeeze the juice from the orange into a measuring cup. Pour in enough milk to make 1 cup liquid. Stir together. Let stand while preparing the remaining ingredients.

3. In a medium-size bowl, combine the all-purpose flour, millet flour, cornstarch, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk together. Sprinkle in the orange zest and stir to distribute evenly, breaking up the clumps of zest if necessary. Set aside.

4. In another medium-size bowl, combine the egg yolk and canola oil. Whisk together until smooth. Whisk in the orange juice-milk mixture. Whisk in the vanilla extract. Set aside.

5. In a small to medium bowl, beat the egg white with an electric mixer on high speed until the foam forms firm peaks. Set aside.

6. Add the egg yolk mixture to the flour mixture and stir together just until combined. Add the beaten egg white and fold in gently until well-distributed, but still puffy.

5. Spray the preheated waffle iron with cooking spray or brush it with oil or butter. Pour the batter into the waffle iron and bake according to manufacturer’s instructions until the waffle is golden brown. Remove the waffle and place on the rack in the preheated oven. Repeat with remaining batter. Do not stack the waffles, but keep them separated to allow them to get gently crispy. Serve with butter and maple syrup, or whatever you like.

Makes 5 6 ½ inch waffles.

Another recipe like this one: Barley Pancakes with Orange Juice and Vanilla

One year ago: Roasted Winter Vegetables and Sausage with Garlic-Parsley Aioli

Two years ago: Pumpkin Oatmeal Quick Bread with Dates and Pecans