Waffles

Sometimes life calls for waffles and I am not talking about that yellow box in your freezer.  I am talking about a sweet, brown sugar and vanilla batter that is baked up fluffy on the inside and crisp on the outside.

Did you know that you can have waffles for dinner?  Now of course we do not do this all the time, it is like having dessert after all. But, it is a cheap and quick meal, feels like a special treat, and everyone is happy!  What's not to love about that?  Of course, we eat waffles for breakfast on the occasional weekend morning too!  I love being in the kitchen on a late Saturday morning, the smell of waffles drifting through the house, my family all together and don't forget the coffee.  Another wonderful thing about this recipe is that leftovers can easily be put into freezer bags and frozen.  They can be pulled directly from the freezer and reheat nicely in the oven for an effort free and delicious breakfast.

Until recently I had never had a homemade waffle.  I cannot believe I have been missing out on this delicious treat for so long!!  If you do not have a waffle iron, I suggest you do whatever it takes to get one in your possession as soon as possible!  I find that the promise of delicious baked goods is often more than enough to talk my sweet husband into funding my kitchen habit. I also suggest checking out thrift stores or asking friends and family if they have a waffle maker you can borrow. Just think of all the sad, lonely waffle irons out there, just waiting to fill your home with the smells of fluffy vanilla goodness!  If you plan to purchase a waffle iron, I can recommend the Presto 3510 FlipSide Belgian Waffle Maker.  The price is reasonable (under $40 bucks) and the performance has been perfect.  There are definitely fancier versions out there with bigger price tags, but I have had success with mine.  And no I am not getting paid to tell you that, I just like mine. I am sure there are tons of awesome waffle irons out there, my point is that you need to get your hands on one and make waffles right now!



Waffles
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adapted from: All Recipes

yield: 4-5 large waffles (depending on your waffle iron size)


Ingredients
2 eggs (separate and whip the egg whites)
2 cups of all-purpose flour (8.5 oz if weighing)
1 Tbsp. sugar
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 cups milk
1/2 cup oil (I use canola but vegetable oil will work)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
*optional semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Gather your ingredients and don't forget to preheat your waffle iron!  I also suggest checking out this post for a few baking tips that will be helpful in making the perfect waffle.

After separating the whites from the yolks, whip the egg whites with a whisk until nice and frothy. I can do this for about 45 seconds and then I get bored and my hand gets tired. I have accidentally skipped this step before and it still makes a yummy waffle, but whipping the egg whites makes for a much fluffier result.
*note*Don't throw away the yolks!  You will add them with the other wet ingredients.

Next, in a separate medium size mixing bowl add flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Use a whisk or fork to combine the dry ingredients.

Add the milk, oil, vanilla, and egg yolks to the dry ingredients. Stir briefly to combine.  Remember that  for a tender and light waffle, you do not want to over mix! This is a picture of the batter that is not completely combined.  See the big clumps of flour? I am not quite done mixing yet. I don't want you to be scared of mixing, just do not beat the heck out of that batter!

There may be some lumps in the batter and that is okay!  In the photo above you can see the small lumps and bumps. This is perfect. Trust me, put the utensil down and step away.

Lastly lightly fold in the whipped egg whites. This will add air to the batter and create waffles with big fluffy insides. Remembering that the less we stir, the less gluten we develop.  Less gluten formation = yummy fluffy waffles.

This is the batter after folding in the whipped egg whites. It is lightly color, has a some small lumps throughout but is completely mixed, and is full of awesome little air bubbles.

This part gets a little tricky.  Batter amounts and cook time will vary based on the type and size of your waffle iron. But here are some notes on my process that may help.

I usually have no need to spray the iron with a non-stick coating unless I am making a dessert waffle (see chocolate chip version below) but I have had a couple of my waffles stick and still have no idea why. If you are having problems with sticking, I suggest using a non-stick spray or a small pastry brush to lightly coat the iron with a tiny bit of oil.  Also, you can use the small brush to wipe away crumbs after removing a cooked waffle. This seems to help keep everything from sticking.

My iron makes a single, round, very large waffle and requires about 3/4 cup of batter and cooks for 2 minutes and 45 seconds.  Fill and bake yours according to your waffle irons directions.  I find that cooking the waffle until there is no steam (which is what the Presto directions suggests) makes for a dry waffle that is overcooked.  After some Internet research, I have found that many others suggest to pull the waffles before the steam quits rolling.  This process took several batches to perfect, so don't give up!  My husband and son seemed to have no problems with sampling the different trials, so the learning process isn't a complete waste.

*chocolate chip version.
My son prefers his waffle with chocolate chips and no syrup.  When I measure out the 3/4 cup of batter for his waffle, I just stir in little less than 1/4 cup of semi sweet chocolate chips before pouring it into the iron wells.  The cooking time is the same, but remember to use a spray or a little oil to keep it from sticking.

Since I can only make one waffle at a time, I like to keep the oven on a low setting (about 200 degrees.)  After each waffle comes off the iron, it goes right into the warm oven and sits directly on the oven rack to avoid getting soggy.  This way, the family can eat breakfast together, something we never get to do on crazy weekdays, and we all get a warm delicious waffle.

Another option is to make a batch of these, cool on a wire rack and then store in the freezer.  These will not fit in my toaster, so I heat them up in the oven, directly on the rack for about 5-7 minutes at about 300-ish degrees.  I like to flip them over halfway through the warming process. Check them early because your oven and results may vary. I dont want to be responsible for burnt waffles! These are not as fluffy and soft when reheated this way, but they still taste amazing.  Besides, when I am feeling lazy on a Saturday morning, I can pull these out of the freezer, heat them up quickly and still have a perfect breakfast with my family.

Do you have a special breakfast tradition in your family? Tell me about it!