more waffles

A few weeks ago, we had a little birthday brunch for my father-in-law. I made waffles and frittatas and hashbrowns and cinnamon rolls. Grant made his famous fruit salad (well, it’s famous in our house!). I took zero pictures because making all of that food consumed my whole morning, and I figured it was rude to ask our guests to wait to eat while I plated the food and took pictures. My sister-in-law is allergic to dairy, so I made a dairy-less frittata with local sausage, onions and peppers along with another frittata with sharp cheddar, local sausage, kale and ‘shrooms. They were tasty and easy.

So anyway, we have our old standby waffle recipe, which is quite delicious and remains a healthier way to start the day than the ones I am going to share today. However, these waffles are the tastiest waffles I’ve ever had, which is saying something since I’m a bit of a connoisseur. I may or may not have turned into a carb-addict with baby number two. I’m trying to figure out if I’m always addicted to carbs and I just let myself splurge extra when I’m pregnant, or if it’s just a “preggers thing.” I’ll save that experiment for later this year. For now, I just want to eat more of these waffles.

I made a dairy-less batch and a very dairy batch using these two recipes already tested over at Orangette. I really couldn’t pick between the two, to be honest. I think I need more testing! 🙂

Waffles of Insane Greatness
Adapted from Orangette

Ingredients*
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. table salt
3 tsp honey
1 cup whole milk
1 cup buttermilk**
2/3 cup coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, and then combine the wet ingredients in a different mixing bowl. Set aside for thirty minutes to rest.

Follow the instructions on your waffle maker using the appropriate amount of batter. I like my waffles on the golden, crispy side, so I set mine to the equivalent of medium-high. I usually get about ten large waffles from this recipe.

I like these with good, local butter and Indiana maple syrup if I have it. Jasper and Grant like them with berry syrup (recipe to come).

*I doubled the original recipe as you can see. I have made these three times now and doubled Orangette’s original recipe each time, in hopes of having plenty of leftover waffles for me to freeze and eat throughout the week. So far, I’ve only gotten two leftovers after the original batch. Next time, I might quadruple it!

**I never have buttermilk laying around, and I don’t like all of the stabilizers used in most modern buttermilk you see at the store. I use this old trick: pour one tablespoon of vinegar in a measuring cup. Fill up to the one cup mark with milk. Ta-da: buttermilk!

Dairy-free yeasted waffles
Adapted from Orangette

Ingredients
½ cup warm water
1 package (2 ¼ tsp.) dry yeast
2 cups almond milk, warmed (or alternate “milk” of your choice)
½ cup coconut oil, melted
1 tsp. table salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ tsp. baking soda

Directions
Pour the water into a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water, and let stand to dissolve for five minutes.

Add the almond milk, coconut oil, salt, sugar, and flour, and beat until well blended and smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let it stand overnight at room temperature. The next morning, just before cooking the waffles, add the eggs and baking soda, and stir to mix well.

Again, use the appropriate amount of batter based on your waffle maker’s instructions. This batter is quite thin, but it worked just fine on my Belgian-style waffle maker.